Introduction

Even facing intense attacks, scholars on both sides of the Atlantic hold real public power. The power of scholars emerges in our final dossier in honor of Herrick Chapman, perhaps most explicitly in its final essay by sociologist Éric Fassin. Fassin argues that the recent surge of politicized attacks on the academy, an onslaught felt in both France and the United States, is, ironically, a good sign. So, too, he reasons, is the prevailing climate of anti-intellectualism. “What these campaigns reveal,” Fassin writes, “is that intellectual work is not to be dismissed; it is dangerous. It turns out it is important. Otherwise, why should it be demonized thus?” Fassin arrives at the conclusion through personal experience. As he recounts, he captured the attention of former presidential candidate Éric Zemmour, who launched his far-right campaign in 2021 with a video telling viewers (“chers compatriots”) that they were “despised” by academics, Fassin included.