The journal Respons is aimed at those working in the academic world and an interested public who want to keep abreast of the qualified discussion in the humanities and social sciences. Respons provides readers with orientation, not least in the publications of small publishers, and gives Swedish academics an opportunity to communicate with other disciplines and a wider readership. The journal is also a forum for cultural debate and discussion of research issues affecting the humanities and social sciences. Response thus takes place at an intersection where several needs are met. The review activities of daily newspapers have deteriorated dramatically in recent years. Either non-fiction is not reviewed at all, or it is written briefly, often by someone who has no in-depth knowledge of the subject. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the general quality-oriented audience to find their way around and increasingly difficult for small quality-oriented publishers to find readers. For its part, the academic world risks losing contact with the national audience and with other disciplines, partly because it lacks platforms in the Swedish public sphere and partly because the focus is now on publishing in English in specialist journals. Responses thus also play an important role in safeguarding the Swedish language against English in the humanities and social sciences.