In his delineation of the moral commitment of thinkers, Edward Said notes that “the proliferation of intellectuals has expanded into the very large number of fields in which intellectuals have become the object of study.” This self-reflexivity drives Said and other prominent scholars to grapple with the ever-changing global dynamics. The public role of the intellectual is therefore to critically engage in political life, rejecting moral detachment as ethical bankruptcy, emphasizing the responsibility of the intelligentsia, and cultivating anti-parochial modes of thought. They stand as a counterforce to the global corporate economic and political agendas that marginalize the human being and attempts to overwhelm human agency.

The role of the intellectual is a classic theme that is destined to be timeless, given the constant reconfiguration of historical crises and the need to address them. Yet, the traditional role of active participation in public discourse is challenged today more than ever. It is confronted by a world divided into contending nation states and characterized by egotistic nationalist interests, competing economic and geopolitical blocs, separatist ethnicities, and resurgent empires. Compounding the current global scene and adding to the intellectual’s feelings of vulnerability are the mounting threats of pandemics, nuclear wars, climate change, and an endangered ecosystem—with all the unprecedented levels of suffering, conflict, alienation, and social injustice these factors have engendered.     

     This conference, titled “The Intellectual in the 21st Century: Agency, Ethics, and the Ever-changing Global Dynamics,” therefore focuses on the role of the intellectual as a public figure. It seeks to revisit this theme in the context of twenty-first-century global developments. We invite scholars across disciplines to bring their unique perspectives to bear on this important issue in the field of humanities. The conference welcomes contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Defining the intellectual.
• The role of the intellectual in the public sphere.
• The intellectual vocation.
•  Models of iconic intellectual figures exemplifying organic intellectualism.
• Artists and writers as intellectuals.
• Social media, activism, and intellectual intervention.
• Collective intellectualism, collaboration, and social justice.
• The education and training of intellectuals.
• The intellectual, publishing, and the marketplace.
• The Intellectual and the audience: communication and mobilization.