A Call to Public Scholars During Turbulent Times

"He observes that the massive growth of the Academy over the past several decades, fueled by significant federal investment in higher learning, has transformed it into a "world in itself" and the primary custodian of the nation's intellectual talent. Because of this insularity, West argues, even radical critiques emerging from within the Academy often remain confined to academic terms rather than cultivating genuine linkages with struggles beyond institutional walls."

"I believe that these observations by West strike at the heart of contemporary concerns regarding the role of the scholar in America today, especially during a time of democratic backsliding, divestment of federal funding from higher education, and censorship of free speech. Students have faced arrest and even had their international student visas revoked for protesting. Legislatures target faculty for addressing histories of race, gender, sexuality, and U.S. foreign policy."

"And as universities become increasingly exposed to the harmful executive orders of the Trump administration, one must ponder: What does it mean to be a scholar when the university itself is in crisis? And how can intellectuals orient themselves in ways that sustain democratic engagement rather than producing scholarship for scholarship's sake? With the latter, this would concern re-imagining scholarly work as a praxis-a living practice rooted in solidarity with communities affected by sociopolitical ills."

Massive federal investment and institutional expansion have turned the Academy into a self-contained sphere and the primary custodian of national intellectual talent. Insularity within that sphere often confines even radical critiques to specialized academic terms, preventing genuine linkages with broader social struggles. Democratic backsliding, reductions in federal higher-education support, censorship, student arrests, visa revocations, and legislative attacks on faculty intensify the crisis facing universities. The university's vulnerability raises urgent questions about the scholar's role and about orienting intellectual work toward democratic engagement. Scholarly practice must be reimagined as praxis grounded in solidarity, stepping beyond academic confines to co-produce knowledge with affected communities.

Read at Apaonline