An 'ivory tower' is a metaphorical construct that symbolizes a secluded realm of intellectual or artistic pursuit, often detached from the quotidian struggles and pragmatics of everyday life. Evoking images of purity and elevation, this term critiques spaces where scholars or thinkers exist in lofty insularity, insulated from the tactile, messy entanglements of the world. Within these rarefied heights, the textured nuances and fervent urgencies of diverse lived experiences may be eclipsed by a dispassionate pursuit for abstract or theoretical ideals. Bayo Akomolafe might suggest that an 'ivory tower' is not merely a place but an embodiment of a worldview that privileges epistemic distance over embodied engagement, a place where the vibrant chaos of becoming is subdued by a misguided quest for pristine clarity and certainty.

See also: white supremacy, colonial order, late-stage capitalism, nation state