Intellectuals in the 21st Century

‘It is impossible to overstate the significance of this collection of essays, which assembles an impressive array of intellectuals to reflect on the current status and responsibilities of the social sciences and humanities. A truly monumental achievement.’

Alenka Zupančič, Philosopher, Slovenia.

‘For some time now, since the crisis of the neoliberal system in 2008, we have been facing various episodes including the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hot period following the outbreak of the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza – not to mention the importance of the irruption of AI in the midst of the Trump phase of US domination. Faced with these events, humanity feels the need to take a reflective pause to find schemes by which to reorient itself. This reflective halt must meet two conditions: To be radical and to be cooperative, and thus capable of involving the world’s intelligentsia. Nicol A. Barria-Asenjo fulfils these conditions with this book and it will therefore be indispensable as a starting point for thinking about the future.’

José Luis Villacañas, Emeritus Professor of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.

‘This remarkable collection is at once a map and a compass. Its authors represent multiple locations, generations, languages and critical traditions. With a powerful organizing voice from Chile, Prof. Barria-Asenjo generates a new geography of intellectual exchange and debate, which also offers a new territory of dialogue across disciplines from philosophy to critical theory, and from politics to psychoanalysis. Bringing together authors who refuse to accept their historical limits and contexts, this volume offers an unflinching claim on a variety of unclaimed and unsafe political futures.’

Arjun Appadurai, Emeritus Professor in Media, Culture and Communication, New York University, USA

‘In times of uncertainty, the Universidad de Los Lagos, from the south of the world, takes on the challenge of being a space where critical voices from the five continents converge to rethink the present and project possible futures. This book demonstrates that critical thinking and international collaboration are powerful tools to open horizons of justice, dignity, and emancipation amid the tensions of the 21st century. Intellectual work, understood as an act of responsibility and commitment, is not the heritage of an elite: it is nourished by plurality, dialogue, and difference. Bringing together thinkers of diverse trajectories constitutes a resistance against the elitization of knowledge and, at the same time, an invitation to reflect on the issues of our time.’

Oscar Garrido, University Chancellor, Universidad de Los Lagos, Chile.