Education, and the arts and humanities in particular, act as a positive force in framing and understanding the many contentious issues we collectively face in the pursuit of a sustainable world. In times that are increasingly uncertain, hostile, and contentious, and in which national governments focus on productivity, efficiency, technology, and security, considerations of humanity, human intelligence, and the wider common good are often ignored.

In Part I of this Forum series held at the ACAH/ACCS/ACSS2026 conference in Tokyo in May 2026, delegates discussed whether the arts and humanities have made a sufficient case for their value to governments and wider society today. One of the main conclusions was that the case has always been there, but the problem lies in communication.

In Part II, held at the PCE/PCAH2026 conference in Paris in June, participants discussed how we can best communicate the value of the arts and humanities to those who know about it but may be more inclined towards short-term achievements, financial stability, progress, and growth.

In Part III of this series, this Forum session at ECE/ECAH/EGen2026 invites participants to build on its predecessors and the words and concepts identified that will resonate and convince, as well as discuss possible action plans.

Biographies

Alfonso J. García-Osuna

Professor Alfonso J. García-Osuna has taught at Hofstra University and at City University of NY-Kingsborough, United States, for over 35 years. He specialises in mediaeval and early modern literature, receiving his PhD from the Graduate School of the City University of New York in 1989. He has completed postdoctoral work at the University of Valladolid, Spain, has published six books, and is a frequent contributor to specialised journals. Additionally, Professor García-Osuna is the editor of the IAFOR Journal of Arts and Humanities.

Professor García-Osuna received primary and secondary education in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, the place where his family originated and where he grew up. An avid cyclist, he has completed the Road to Santiago, an 867-kilometre route through northern Spain, eight times.

Melina Neophytou

Dr Melina Neophytou is the Academic Operations Manager at IAFOR, where she works closely with academics, keynote speakers, and IAFOR partners to shape academic discussions within The Forum, bring conference programmes together, refine scholarship programmes, and build an interdisciplinary and international community. She is leading various projects within IAFOR, notably The Forum discussions and the authoring of Conference Reports and Intelligence Briefings, and she oversees the Global Fellows Programme.

Born in Germany and raised in Cyprus, Dr Neophytou received her PhD in International Development from Nagoya University, Japan, in 2023, specialising in political sociology, the welfare state, and contentious politics. She received an MA in International Development from Nagoya University, with a focus on Governance & Law, and a BA in European Studies from the University of Cyprus, Cyprus.

Dr Neophytou’s research interests currently focus on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the relationship between state and society. Her current work examines technologies such as facial recognition (FRT) and biometric surveillance, and how these tools impact freedom of expression, protest, and social policy

About the Presenter(s)
-Professor Alfonso J.
-Dr Melina Neophytou is the Academic Operations Manager at IAFOR, where she works closely with academics, keynote speakers, and IAFOR partners to shape academic discussions within The Forum, bring conference programmes together, refine scholarship programmes, and build an interdisciplinary and international community.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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