Proposal – Public Intellectuals in Politics

Proposal – Public Intellectuals in Politics

Abstract

It is said that public intellectuals tend to be the counter-cultural escapists who are more often than not accused of corrupting the young mind leading to prosperity. Public intellectuals in politics are however known to play a significant role in fixtures of the modern politics (Kellner, 2007). For this reason, I decided to enumerate on the broader topic, Public Intellectuals in Politics. This is because they shape the nature, the role and the characteristics of the free thinkers (Giroux, 2015). They work well in different social and political environments to relate action, thought, ideas and events in a reasonable way. It is important to think critically about public intellectuals in politics since their role in society can only be played efficiently by them. Now, public intellectuals only bear the slightest resemblance to what it was a decade or two ago. This paper is, therefore, going to provide numerous ways that explain the fate of public intellectuals. It will, as well, offer a thorough research of the commonplace politics and ideologies associated with them.

Various questions will guide the proposed research. Some of them have had people attempting to answer them while some have not. Pondering the conceptual elements that tend to respond, not only the sense of the new challenges but also the political critique, different people have attempted to explain the broader spectrum of public intellectuals in politics. But what might be the theoretical parameters that result to public intellectuals? Is it accurate to say that public intellectuals have disappeared entirely? How is the presence of public intellectuals felt in politics? Do the public intellectuals perform differently in the present day where techno-digital drive and global neoliberalism have taken root?

It would call for a clear reflection on the topic to find the right responses to these questions. For these reasons, the research will base its argument on different literary works by various authors.  The books include Public Intellectuals Against the Neoliberal University by Giroux Henry, The Public Sphere Can Be Fun: Political Pedagogy in Neoliberal Times by McClennen Sophia, The Inorganic Intellectual and the Reinvention of the Communal: A Provocation by Moraru Christian, This Death Which Is Not One by Simek Nicole, A checklist for political Scientists by Jacobs Hacker among others.

Research Rationale

The purpose of this study is to address the social science with a focus on the public intellectuals in politics. This will be achieved by carrying out an investigation on whether the public intellectuals exist, and if they do, the role they play in the policy and the society.

Research Objectives

The objective of this research will be:

1. To find out the different roles played by public intellectuals in the politics.
2. To identify significant political events that were motivated by various public intellectuals.
3. To find out the various disciplines that the public intellectuals focused on in the past and the ones they focus on today.
4. To understand the various factors that have resulted in the decline in the number of public intellectuals in politics.
5. To present a clear discussion of the patterns, the quality, and the performance of the public intellectuals in politics today.

Research Questions

1. What are the theoretical parameters that make public intellectuals come forward?
2. Have the public intellectuals disappeared completely?
3. How is the presence of public intellectuals felt in politics today as opposed to the past?
4. Do the public intellectuals perform differently today, where techno-digital drive and global neoliberalism have taken root, than they used to do in the past?
5. Could the role played by the public intellectuals be overshadowed over time?
6. How does the influence of public intellectuals in politics seem to increase over time?

Literature Review

Different authors have embarked on the topic, and some have made exceptional progress. One such author is Jacob Hacker in his book, A checklist for political scientists. In the book, Hacker describes the role of the public intellectuals in the introduction of Medicare in the USA. He terms them as being double-edged and sobriquet (Hacker, 2010). He goes on to say that they employ various strategies in achieving their end goal. They might relay their influence directly or indirectly through people, social media or literature (Hacker, 2010). He also recalls how some consider being backed by other public intellectuals when they want to pass a point.  This resource will be helpful in outlining the different roles played by public intellectuals in U.S politics.

In his book, Moraru (2016) notes that the discipline calls for mindedness in gender, inequality, deviance and social class. He recalls public intellectuals such as George Orwell, Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, and Erich Fromm (who was a critical theorist and a social psychologist).  George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist, has also been mentioned. The book gives evidence of the legacies left behind by these public intellectuals in politics. Moraru (2016), gives an account of Chomsky who attacked the media after 9-11 and made distinct contributions in the politics of the United States and Canada. This resource will help me look into the events of various intellectuals and the various disciplines they focused on.

Simek (2016), then writes about Erich Fromm who is a renowned author and is considered an original public intellectual. He gives accounts on how Fromm gave keynote addresses in sociology in New York City. The author focuses on politics and public engagement by the public intellectuals. He notes that the insights presented are a source of knowledge to students and the general public. I intend to use this resource to dig deep about Erich Fromm.

Russell Jacoby in The Last Intellectuals condemns the rise of academic Marxism. He terms this as the source of failure in academics. He claims that it robs the independence of the intellectuals to practice their professionalization, specialization, and academicization (Jacoby, 2008). The author presents two reasons as to why public intellectuals continually reduce. He claims that the intellectuals take pleasure that consequently announce their demise (Jacoby, 2008). The second reason, according to him, is the historical realities of the intellectuals in the politics of France and the United States. He claims that the rhetoric in these countries has been a common scenario. Their fame continually declines with time. This source will help me understand the various reasons for the decline in the number of public intellectuals in politics over time.

Additionally, Public Intellectual: A Study of Decline by Richard Posner gives accounts on the Modern American intellectuals. He says that this intellectual speaks to the public on ideological and political issues. With the rapid growth of media in the United States, the authors say that highly visible forums for discussion have cropped up (Posner, 2009). This has then boosted by the increased specialization in academics (Posner, 2009). Posner goes on to describe the different styles and genres of the activities of the public intellectuals. This resource will help me present a clear discussion of the patterns, the quality, and the performance of public intellectuals in American politics today.

Methodology

Qualitative and quantitative methods of research are usually applied when conducting research. This research is expected to evaluate the suitability of the methods before having either of them employed. However, as Ponterotto (2015) notes, this kind of research has the subjective custom, and therefore both qualitative and quantitative approaches could fit, either separately or combined.

The interventions for this research are to be based on explicit activities that are discipline-specific and developed to answer the formulated questions regarding public intellectuals in politics (Kellner, 2007).

Data Analysis Plan

The data will be analyzed by using the qualitative information gathered through reading written material to form an understanding of the importance of public intellectual in politics and the different resources invested in enhancing the practice. Books and peer reviewed journals and articles will provide qualitative information and will be analyzed by comparing the results deduced from them to suggest patterns and figures.

References

Giroux, H. A. (2015). Public intellectuals against the neoliberal university. Qualitative inquiry; Past, present, and future: A critical reader, 194-223.

Hacker, J. S. (2010). “You Might Be a Public Intellectual If…”: A Checklist for Political Scientists, a Challenge for Political Science. PS: Political Science & Politics, 43(04), 657-659.

Jacoby, R. (2008). The last intellectuals: American culture in the age of academe. Basic Books.

Kellner, D. (2007). Intellectuals, the new public spheres, and techno-politics. New Political Science, 169-188.

McClennen, S. A. (2016). The Public Sphere Can Be Fun: Political Pedagogy in Neoliberal Times. The New Public Intellectual (pp. 29-43). Palgrave Macmillan US.

Moraru, C. (2016). The Inorganic Intellectual and the Reinvention of the Communal: A Provocation. The New Public Intellectual (pp. 63-77). Palgrave Macmillan US.

Ponterotto, J. G. (2015). Qualitative research in counseling psychology: A primer on research paradigms and philosophy of science. Journal of counseling psychology, 52(2), 126.

Posner, R. A. (2009). Public intellectuals. Harvard University Press.

Simek, N. (2016). This Death Which Is Not One: The Postcolonial Author as Public Intellectual. The New Public Intellectual (pp. 79-93). Palgrave Macmillan US.

Swartz, D. L. (2003). From critical sociology to public intellectual: Pierre Bourdieu and politics. Theory and Society, 32(5), 791-823.

Name:   Rachel Beaton

Student Number: 212915831