A National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant awarded to Dr. Benjamin Davis, an assistant professor in the Department of Global Languages & Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences, will support two events focused on the philosophy and writings of Simone Weil, bringing scholars from around the world to campus for conversations on belonging, exile and ethical responsibility.
Simone Weil was a French philosopher whose work bridged ethics, politics and religious thought. Born in Paris in 1909, Weil rejected the idea that academics should distance themselves from their lived experience, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Her writing explores suffering and moral obligation, focusing on how individuals are responsible not only for their own actions but also for the broader social world around them.
The grant will help fund the Annual Colloquy of the American Weil Society, hosted on April 23–25, and a five-day seminar in the fall centered on a recent English translation of Weil’s The Need for Roots. Both events will be hosted at Texas A&M, with options for in-person and virtual attendance. Learn more and register here.
The colloquy will feature about 40 presenters, including keynote speakers from the University of Pennsylvania: Anne Norton, a political science professor; and Nicolas de Warren, a professor of philosophy and Jewish studies.
A Scholar’s Path to Simone Weil
Davis, who earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University in 2020, specializes in Africana and Hispanic Studies. His interest in Weil began after he read an essay by poet Christian Wiman that introduced him to her mystical writing.
Davis said he was drawn to Weil’s ability to express complex ideas through paradox. “She said we can imagine two prisoners separated by a wall who, over time, learn how to communicate by tapping on the wall,” Davis said. “She said it’s the same with us and God; every separation is a link.”
Davis submitted the NEH proposal with support from colleagues in his department, including Department Head Sarah Misemer and Associate Department Head Donnalee Dox.
An International Conversation on The Need for Roots
Davis said the events reflect the international scope of Weil scholarship and ongoing efforts to broaden participation. “We’re making an effort to work more internationally,” Davis said. “We have people coming from England, Poland, Italy, France, Australia and across North America and Latin America.”
In addition to the spring conference, the NEH grant will support a five-day seminar in the fall focused on The Need for Roots, Simone Weil’s most well-known philosophical and political work. Written during World War II for the Free French, the book argues that modern society suffers from “uprootedness” and that human beings need strong connections to community, place and shared purpose for moral and spiritual fulfillment. “The conference is framed around The Need for Roots,” Davis said. “These themes connect to the context of Texas, to global issues and to Simone Weil’s life.”
Rather than highlighting a single interpretation of Weil’s work, the conference and seminar are designed to encourage discussion among scholars who approach her writing from different perspectives.
Davis hopes the conversations will encourage participants to engage with a broader range of Weil’s writing and to consider interpretations that may challenge their own. “If I had a hope, it would be that more people read her writings we don’t usually focus on,” Davis said. “I also hope to learn a lot myself.”
For Davis, the most rewarding part of hosting the events is exchanging ideas among scholars who have long been in conversation with one another. “I’m most excited about seeing everyone,” Davis said. “I have known these people for a long time. We read each other’s work, and I appreciate the debates across generations.”