Introduction

Jason Buchanan

This year’s theme for Touchstone is “New Approaches to New Environments,” which is appropriate for a time in our country that, to put it mildly, represents a quickly changing environment. It feels like every day there is a seismic shift in the bedrock of politics, cultures, and communities that constitute our country. The world seems to fit the pattern proclaimed by Stephen Blackpool, from Dicken’s Hard Times, when he said “Who can look on’t sir, and fairly tell a man ‘tis not a muddle?” At times, I can feel distanced from these changes due to my position in academia, but that’s not really true. Look a little closer and it becomes very apparent that the students, staff, and faculty of Hostos are all trying to find a patch of firm ground to help stabilize them during these shaky times.

The essays presented in this issue cover a wide range of topics and subjects, but I believe all of them represent an attempt to find some solid footing. As scholars, thinkers, writers, and educators, the authors presented in this issue all explore ways people arrive at knowledge, whether it be individual or communal. These authors take up the commendable task of asking questions, even if they are not quite sure about the answer they will find. The act of the asking is, at times, enough to help get somebody finding their footing, if not a way forward. If the ground around us is constantly shifting, the authors of this issue of Touchstone are, like Sheamus Heaney, are using their “pen” to “dig” in the firmament a bit to see what they discover.