The International Conference on Orientalism is crucial for fostering this important intellectual exchange. It brings together some of the world’s most accomplished scholars to participate in important conversations about the complexities of cultural understandings. This year, the conference showcases the Global South’s continued resistance. As such, it pushes back against the unsparing, Eurocentric, colonial lens that still permeates the way we think about these issues today. Through the event, we hope to advance more balanced forms of civilizational engagement while countering these oftentimes dominant narratives that have emerged as a result of colonial-era ideologies.
We recorded a special episode with them, in collaboration with the International Conference on Orientalism. It stars noted academic and activist Roy, who talks about the ways that Western narratives distort the experiences of the Global South. Roy contests that the Eurocentric lens under which these perceptions are regularly understood exposes the troubling reality of our modernity and civilization as a whole. Beyond this, our discussion aims to reinforce the Global South’s framing. Pluralism is important in its own right, addressing fundamental and growing issues of pluralism in increasingly diverse Western societies.
We never learned such a simple fact.” Roy’s contention that the Eurocentric view extends beyond the ivory tower is correct. It has real-life implications that impact contemporary politics and social order. The struggle with pluralism in the West, he contends, is intricately linked to how non-Western cultures are represented and understood. This near chronic oversight has continuously made it difficult to interact with a pluralistic world in a productive and respectful manner.
Our hope is that every conference participant is inspired to interrogate their own colonial-era narratives. Yet these narratives continue to shape how we perceive the Global South even today. Roy is actively exploring these themes. Through examining their legacies, he seeks to challenge and combat the insidious hold of Eurocentrism within academic discourse and public perception. PLAN’s International Conference on Orientalism boldly confronts these realities. It allows for deeper, more nuanced civilizational engagement, fostering healthier conversations around questions of culture and identity.
