About the Book:
This book explores how the humanities help us imagine a more just society amidst the ontological and epistemological uncertainties constantly produced in our fast changing world. Featuring some of the leading scholars in the humanities, itrepresents a defense of the social function of the humanities as a valuable tool in our search for social justice, human empathy, freedom and peace, all the while helping us answer many of the big questions of the twenty-first century.There is in this volume a coherent argument for the continued need, perhaps more now than ever, to invest in humanities education, if we are to have truly free and democratic societies with informed and socially conscious citizens rather than just willing consumers and obedient workers. The humanities and the arts are, after all, not a luxury but an integral part of a complete scholarly education. And, besides their inherent worth per se, they continue to have a key role in the pursuit of social justice, the empowerment of marginalized communities, the defense of human rights, and the encouragement of tolerance and inter-cultural understanding.
About the Author:
Ignacio López-Calvo is UC Merced Presidential Endowed Chair in the Humanities and Professor of Latin American literature. He is the author of more than ninety articles and book chapters, as well as eight monographs and twelve edited books on Latin American and U.S. Latino literature and culture. He is the co-founder and co-executive director of the academic journal Transmodernity: Journal of Peripheral Cultural Production of the Luso-Hispanic World as well as the co-executive director of Palgrave Macmillan book series “Historical and Cultural Interconnections between Latin America and Asia” and the Anthem Press book series “Anthem Studies in Latin American Literature and Culture Series.”
