RETURN: A MANIFESTO FOR PLACIAL HUMANITIES

To imbue life with meaning is fundamental in an otherwise restless and anguished existence, where theorization often emerges as a perceived saviour. Yet, the crises facing our hyper-industrialized society-suchas the misrecognition of micro-identities,climate change, global terrorism, artificial intelligence,the epidemic of misinformation, and the alienation of labor-have paradoxically become victims of over-theorization. This tendency has, in turn, overshadowed alternative avenues of knowledge such as experience, intuition, and narrative. The Humanities, or Human Sciences, are increasingly challenged not only in addressing these multifaceted crises but also in justifying their relevance in a world dominated by techno-rationalism and consumerism.This paper explores these urgent dilemmas of human identity and the status of the Humanities, and proposes the paradigm of Placial Humanities as a plausible and sustainable response.By investigating the dynamic relationship between people and place, this approach seeks to reground both Humans and the Humanities in their immediate environments. Drawing on the interdisciplinary strengths of Spatiality and Ecocriticism, the paper outlines a manifesto for Placial Humanities-an invitation to reclaim meaning, connection, and hope in an increasingly segmented world.