Since the new millennium the humanities in the Anglo-Saxon world as well as the Geistes- and Kulturwissenschaften in Europe have been exposed to manifold constraints and threats, but there also have been new opportunities. On the one hand they were quite severely affected by paradigm shifts in the value systems of policy-makers and university leaders, thus redirecting resources towards apparently more useful and profit-making units (with higher impact on the university's overall performance). On the other hand, they were confronted with an increasing demand for providing their specific knowledge base and expertise in culturally embedded matters such as ethnic and religious conflicts or the changing modes of communication in a digitalized world. It was against this background that the international Herrenhausen Symposium, organized by the Volkswagen Foundation and the German U15 Universities, aims at thoroughly analyzing  the present situation and achievements made. Experts from renowned academic institutions in Europe and abroad have exchanged their views and ideas.  A particular emphasis was put on future developments and strategically important prospects for the respective knowledge domains in the 2020s. What is their role in an increasingly instable world? How can they protect their autonomy and pave the way for a culture of scholarly creativity? What steps should be taken?