JEI - Journal of Eurasian Insights, Issue 2

Abstract

Dear Reader, Last August, when we published the very first issue of the Journal of Eurasian Insights (JEI), this initiative was, at best, a well-intentioned experiment with a most uncertain future. We did not know how such a project would be received by the academic community, whether we could find academics who would agree to review undergraduate papers over the few precious summer months, or whether any of this would offer much (if anything) to the academically oriented undergraduate students for whom this journal was designed from the beginning. Thankfully, both the feedback we received following the publication of our first issue and a few developments we witnessed over the last twelve months have made us certain that there is, in fact, a place for undergraduate academic journals in today’s academic community. First and foremost, while anti-intellectualism (often with a distinct distaste for the humanities and social sciences) has gained some token support in recent years, there has never been a better time to study the past and present of humanity. That is because such studies provide us with the necessary critical qualitative and quantitative data to better make sense of the present and prepare for tomorrow in these times of rapid systemic changes. The recent rise of large language models has already effectively changed how numerous professions function, and the potential introduction of an artificial general intelligence in the coming years threatens to more drastically alter how we live and work in the near future. The impact of such technological advancements on our society has been exacerbated by other systemic political, social, economic, and climatic developments across the globe, many of which made life more difficult and unpredictable for most. However, unsurprisingly, this is not the first-time changes in climate patterns have curtailed human activities substantially, nor is it the first-time unemployment has troubled our societies. For example, the Hittites, Mycenaeans, Canaanites, and many others ‘collapsed’ due to a combination of systemic pressures during the Late Bronze Age, while more recently, millions across the globe adapted to the loss of their jobs when the Industrial Revolution replaced manual labour with automation in numerous fields.