In general usage, the term 'ivory tower' is employed to describe an insulated space characterized by detachment from the practical concerns of normal everyday life and an absorption with abstract scholarship and research. In this conception, an ivory tower is a metaphor for societal “elitism” and an endemic disconnect from the wider social reality, with its bearers perceived to inhabit a bubble of isolation and privilege. I believe however that a more nuanced definition of the 'ivory tower' is one that centres not on ideas of elitism but instead, one that foregrounds a respite or rejuvenation of cross-disciplinary research and bridging of social divides. It can be a space of collective dreaming and experimentation, an antidote to the more insistent forces of technocracy, an invitation to new possibilities, and an imaginative comprehension of living towards alternatives.

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