This lecture explores the content and context of the discourse of“a new world order”because this discourse has become part of the public discourse. Meanings about the new world order are part of a“contested terrain,”and as such they are part of a larger component of political, economic, and cultural conflicts, the outcomes of which are not preordained to favor the governing elites and monied interests. Scholars and educators, besides being a part of a large professional network, are citizens as well, and social conditions and problems affect everyone. Definitions and proposed trajectories of a new world order need to be problematized to provide impetus for transcending the classroom, the gymnasium, the department chair's and dean's office, and for becoming involved in constructing our society for the future. By emphasizing the socially constructed nature of, and hence the need to make problematic what is taken for granted, the possibility for alternatives in the wider society will be opened up.