The Princeton Report on Knowledge (P-ROK), an online platform for intellectual discussion, was launched earlier this year to fill a gap in the public debate of academic work.
The site's founders and editors — anthropology professor John Borneman and history professor Gyan Prakash — were disconcerted by the absence of a public forum for the discussion of social and natural sciences, humanities and on-campus events and seminars.
"We thought that the absence of such a forum or platform ghettoized academic work as 'merely academic,' " Prakash said.
Borneman and Prakash took it upon themselves to change that, putting a premium on making knowledge and opinions widely accessible.
"While there is much support at Princeton for research, there is little effort to turn this into accessible knowledge," Borneman said.
Since its inception, the site has taken an unorthodox format, featuring interviews, discussion forums and question and answer sections in lieu of scholarly articles.
P-ROK's slogan reveals the site's interdisciplinary focus: "To survey the local complexities of a globalizing world. To transmit knowledge about culture, politics and science. To disseminate understanding of current events. To share insight and expertise among the disciplines."
The first volume of the report posted on their website, whose overarching theme was political elections in different societal contexts, met with great success. The inaugural issue featured an interview with Salman Rushdie, along with a discussion forum between various professors.
German and comparative literature professor Stanley Corngold was among several professors who participated in the first "4Q & 4A" section, in which each participant was asked to answer the same four questions. They ranged from "Are you a praying man?" to "Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of a terrorist organization?"
Corngold, who said he avidly supports P-ROK and its mission, was quick to mention his appreciation for P-ROK's section entitled "(Un)published Letters." Letters written to scholarly journals contesting their interests and views, some of which have never been published, are posted on the site to be read by all.
Upcoming issues will feature an interview with President Tilghman and discussion forums with anthropology professor Hildred Geertz and politics professor George Kateb.
P-ROK received a grant from Kamila B. and John K. Hurley '86, and is also supported by the Council for the Humanities and the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.
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