Conference: Notre Dame: Public Intellectualism in Comparative Context
Sunday, April 21: Welcome Dinner
Monday, April 22: 8:00 a.m.Continental Breakfast
- 8:30 a.m. Welcome, Robert Bernhard, Vice President for Research, University of Notre Dame
- 8:45 a.m. “Caveat Lector: Intellectuals and the Public” Mark Lilla, Commentary: Michael Zuckert
- 10:45 a.m. “The Public Intellectual in China” Willy Lam, Commentary: Lionel Jensen * 2:00 p.m. “The Public Intellectual in Latin America” Enrique Krauze, Commentary: Paolo Carozza * 4:00 p.m. “The Artist as Public Intellectual” Maxim Kantor, Commentary: Peter Holland
- 5:45 p.m. Dinner
- 7:15 p.m.: Evening Presentation "The Religious Leader as Public Intellectual” Sr. Joan Chittister, Commentary: Ann Astell
Tuesday, April 23: 8:00 a.m.Continental Breakfast
- 8:45 a.m. “Islam and the Public Intellectual” (via web) Ahmad Moussalli, Commentary: Rashied Omar
- 10:45 a.m. “The Blogger as Public Intellectual” Paul Horwitz, Commentary: Richard Garnett
- 2:00 p.m. “Science in the Crosshairs: The Public Role of Science and Scientists” Kenneth Miller, Commentary: Jessica Hellmann * 4:00 p.m.“The Economist as Public Intellectual” J. Bradford DeLong, Commentary: Timothy Fuerst
- 5:45 p.m. Dinner
7:15 p.m. Evening Presentation “The Former Diplomat as Public Intellectual” Gilles Andréani, Panthéon-Assas University, Paris Commentary: George Lopez Wednesday, April 24: 8:00 a.m.Continental Breakfast
8:45 a.m. “The Philosopher as Public Intellectual” Patrick Baert, Commentary: Katherine Brading
- 10:45 a.m. “The American Public Intellectual as Cold Warrior” Andrew Bacevich, Commentary: Daniel Philpott
- 2:00 p.m. “The Historian as Public Intellectual: The Case of George Kennan” Jeremi Suri, Commentary: Rev. Wilson Miscamble, C.S.C.
- 4:00 p.m. “Politics and Science as a Vocation: The Ethical Imperative of Public Intellectualism for Scholars” Michael Desch, Commentary: Don Howard
- 5:45 p.m. Concluding Thoughts (Vittorio Hösle)
- 6:30 p.m. Dinner
Description: This international conference, hosted by the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, will focus on the roles played by public intellectuals—persons who exert a large influence in the contemporary society of their countries by virtue of their thought, writing, or speaking—in various countries around the world and in their different professional roles. Leading experts from multiple disciplines will come together to approach this elusive topic of public intellectualism from different perspectives.
The conference will include interdisciplinary discussion of ideas presented as well as less formal opportunities for scholarly discourse and interaction. Each session includes a 40-minute presentation, a 20-minute commentary from another scholar in the field, followed by 40 minutes of questions and discussion of the presentation. This engaging and interdisciplinary approach differs from conferences in some disciplines, offering a unique opportunity to engage other scholars in ways that transcend disciplinary boundaries and providing participants new perspectives and ideas.
