Australian Academy of the Humanities (1969 - )

Summary

The Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) is the national body for the humanities in Australia, championing the contribution that humanities, arts and culture make to national life. It provides independent and authoritative advice, including to government, to ensure ethical, historical and cultural perspectives inform discussions regarding Australia's future challenges and opportunities. It promotes and recognises excellence in the disciplines that provide the nation's expertise in culture, history, languages, linguistics, philosophy and ethics, archaeology and heritage. The Academy plays a unique role in promoting international engagement and research collaboration, and investing in the next generation of humanities researchers.

Details

The Academy represents twelve fields of humanities research and teaching. These fields form the basis of Sections, which provide advice to the Council about their discipline and other matters of interest or concern to the Fellowship.

The twelve Sections (as at 2025):
* Archaeology - The systematic study of the human past through the recovery and analysis of material remains;
* Asian Studies - The study of Asian languages, cultures and societies;
* Classical Studies - The study of the languages, literature, thought, history, art and civilisations of the ancient Mediterranean world;
* Cultural & Communication Studies - The study of cultural practices and communications media in their social and political contexts;
* English - The study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature in the English language in its cultural and historical context;
* European Languages & Cultures - The study of European languages, cultures, people and heritage;
* History - The study of past events relating to places, peoples and individuals;
* Indigenous Studies - established in 2024;
* Linguistics - The systematic study of the world's languages in their many aspects, including sounds, words and grammar, and the relation of language to culture and society;
* Philosophy & History of Ideas - The study of ultimate reality, the source of value, and limits of knowledge as well as the change of human ideas over time;
* Religion - The study of the world's religions: their histories, beliefs, rituals, texts and institutions;
* The Arts - The study of the traditions and practices of the creative and performing arts including painting and visual art, architecture, music, theatre, and dance.

---

New Fellows are nominated by existing Fellows and elected following a rigorous peer assessment process, current categories of Fellowship (as at 2025):
* Fellows are elected in recognition of the excellence and impact of their scholarship in the Humanities;
* Honorary Fellows are elected in recognition of their significant contribution to the Humanities and the arts, and to Australian cultural life. They're often practitioners of the arts, distinguished public figures who advocate for the humanities, or those who have promoted or advanced the causes for which the Academy was founded;
* Corresponding Fellows are elected in recognition of their outstanding contribution in a humanities discipline, but not usually residing in Australia

Related entries

Published resources

Resources

• Fellows of the Academy, Australian Academy of the Humanities, https://humanities.org.au/fellows/find-fellows/. Details