LettersWhy do the humanities not have awards like the Fields Medal or Nobel Prize?
Readers discuss the lack of recognition for outstanding scholarship in the humanities, the lure of toys to children, and elderly mental health
They deserve every bit of that recognition. Their success also prompts a question that those of us in the humanities should ask: if mathematics has the Fields Medal, what do the humanities have?
In fact, mathematics has far more than the Fields Medal. The Abel Prize, established by the Norwegian government, is frequently described as mathematics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Other major international honours include the Shaw Prize and the Breakthrough Prize.
Beyond mathematics, other scientific disciplines possess an equally extensive system of recognition, including the Nobel Prizes, Kavli Prizes and Lasker Awards. These prizes matter not simply because they reward excellence, but because they make scholarly excellence visible. The media explains the significance of the winners’ research, while the public learns about work that might otherwise remain known only to specialists.
The humanities have nothing quite comparable. There is the Nobel Prize in Literature, but it recognises writers rather than scholars of literature. Humanities disciplines certainly have distinguished prizes, but most remain field-specific and receive limited public recognition beyond academic circles.