It’s been a while since I listened to Greg Booth’s lecture on the wedding bands of the Indian subcontinent however a number of concepts remain with me from it. The purpose of the lecture was more to teach us about the methodology of research rather than the content specifically. The most immediate point which stuck out to me was the integral role fieldwork actually played in the humanities. Coming from disciplines like history and law, I tend to picture research as something which can be conducted from behind a desk. However in describing his journey through India Greg showed how integral oral interviewing and eye witness exploration was in the research process.

My former view is the view that people have of the humanities in general. While the sciences are seen as being involved with the real world through empirical experimentation, scholars in the arts tend to be perceived as ivory tower hermits who engage in theoretical discourse without application to reality. This narrative is all too clear in rhetoric from the modern right, where disciplines like sociology and ethnic studies are portrayed as without grounding in reality. Greg’s approach proves that liberal arts scholars can engage in empirical research. Theories from the humanities also have direct application in our daily lies. The supposedly ‘neutral’, ’empirical’ status quo is in fact built on a whole host of theoretical assumptions. But an ideology does not cease to be ideology merely because it is hegemonic. It is vital that citizens of today’s world are equipped with the tools to question the reality we are presented with. These are tools only the arts can provide.