"A conversation with Jana Matuszak, a Sumerologist, and Petra Goedegebuure, a Hittitologist, about the prospects for the survival of smaller academic disciplines that require specialized language skills. What critical mass of experts is needed? How can these fields be combined with others?"
"Byzantine Studies is still larger than Sumerology and Hittitology, but the numbers of our full-time faculty is shrinking. How can our fields navigate an uncertain future?"
"Jana Matuszak is Assistant Professor of Sumerology at the University of Chicago. Petra Goedegebuure is Associate Professor of Hittitology, also at the University of Chicago."
Sumerology and Hittitology require specialized language skills and currently operate with very small numbers of full-time faculty. Byzantine Studies remains larger but is also experiencing faculty reductions. Questions about critical mass focus on how many experts are needed to sustain teaching, research, and student pipelines. Combining these fields with related disciplines, creating shared appointments, and designing interdisciplinary curricula can broaden appeal and resource access. Institutional investment, digital resources, collaborative networks, and flexible degree structures can support training, preserve expertise, and help these fields adapt to uncertain academic futures.
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