Whither (Whether) Medical Humanities? The Future of Humanities and Arts in Medical Education

Abstract

This special issue of Journal for Learning through the Arts focuses on the uses of literature and arts in medical education. The introductory article addresses current debate in the field of medical humanities (MH), namely the existential question of what is the purpose of integrating humanities/arts in medical education; and then examines how the submissions included in the issue illuminate this conversation. Specifically, I frame the discussion as critiques of models of acquiescence in medical education contrasted with calls for medical educators employing the humanities to adopt models of resistance. After deconstructing some of the arguments against models of acquiescence, and examining both examples of resistance and acquiescence included in this issue, I conclude that the dichotomy, while in some ways providing valuable insight into the various ways humanities and arts can be understood within a medical context and the various uses to which they can be put in medical education, nevertheless does not do justice to the complexity of actual medical humanities teaching experience.