Rethinking the Common Ground
Few people today would need more convincing that our world is on fire. Democracy is under attack around the world; fascism is on the increase. To our collective dismay, America, the bastion of democracy, has witnessed increasing calcification of ideas and opinions into often violent polarities that threaten not just democracy as a political process but also the humanistic foundations of our society. We could be consoled if this phenomenon was contained only within partisan politics. Whereas it is most pronounced in political juggling, it has seeped into nearly every facet of society, including the academy. As David Brooks rightly observed in his New York Times opinion column of Nov. 16, 2023, “Universities are supposed to be centers of inquiry and curiosity — places where people are tolerant of difference and learn about other points of view. Instead, too many have become brutalizing ideological war zones.”
Unsurprisingly, the degree to which society expresses intransigent polarities parallels the degree of the dearth of the humanities in academia. We acknowledge that we inhabit a world that is inclined to see and judge reality in stark Manichaean (us/them) categories. But universities exist, among other reasons, to provide ample alternatives to the reductionist mode of perception and valuation that structure social relations, and they multiply options so that we are better equipped to make informed judgments and decisions. Yes, America is a multiracial and multi-religious society: but we are not defined by our races, religions and any other markers of difference. It is a pluralistic society, but we are not frozen in our differences. We believe that there is more that binds than divides us.
Although we cannot change the world with a magic wand, we can initiate conversations about promoting and fostering better understanding in our immediate communities. This is precisely what this research seminar seeks to do. It takes to heart the charge that the humanities have an urgent and enduring responsibility toward restoring faith in our shared humanity. We, therefore, propose to begin conversations about how to promote the appreciation of the very things that bind us all. We welcome interdisciplinary projects, research works or creative activities, the goal of which is to transcend boundaries and enhance dialogue and understanding between peoples.
Some of the basic questions we seek to address include: How do we find common ground in our deeply polarized world? Can we ever find common values even as we hold on to our truths and beliefs? How, for instance, might interfaith dialogue enhance our mutual respect for every religion, and for non-religious? How do we deal with the world we share at a time of rising hate and fear of difference?
Ancillary to the above questions is: what does a flourishing society look like? How do we flourish with others? These questions are intentionally broad to allow for participants from various fields of study in the humanities and humanities-related social sciences. As such the operative terms will be: peace, human rights, forgiveness, reconciliation, overcoming difference, the art of dialogue, friendship, the virtues, humanity and complexity.
We welcome a variety of research and creative proposals in response to these or related questions, including projects that actively seek to undertake, or to model, the work of dialogue, reconciliation etc.
2024-25 Seminar Directors:
Chielo Eze, Professor of Africana Studies
Allison Murphy, Assistant Professor of Philosophy