Epilogue

This collection of essays shows that Transatlantic Studies allows for a wealth of topics and approaches—even as key methodological questions remain unresolved and the very legitimacy of Transatlantic Studies as such is still under dispute. This volume has sought to advance the discussion by putting the disputes surrounding the field front and center. The field need not reach consensus in order to thrive. Yet in order to be productive, every debate needs to start from an agreement about underlying principles. These would include the basic idea that it is valuable to study and teach the cultural archive in an academic context, or that a deep understanding of that archive can only be achieved through engagement with the languages in which that archive was written. These values have come under question, however, as an increasing number of colleges and universities have eliminated programs, courses, and faculty lines dedicated to serious work in the humanities. And if we cannot afford to disregard our institutional context, we also cannot ignore the changing tone of political discourse, as different forms of nativism and populist nationalism rear their heads across the world.