Learning on the Left
Political Profiles of Brandeis University
Distributed for Brandeis University Press
400 pages
|
6 x 9
- Contents
- Review Quotes
Table of Contents
Contents
I. Introduction 3
II. The origins 11
III. Early atmospherics 48
IV. Champions of human rights 92
V. Two Americanists 137
VI. Thinking about justice 179
VII. Foreign-born radicals 223
VIII. Two magazines 268
IX. The Sixties 308
X. Champions of civil rights 350
XI. Racial grievance: January 1969 393
XII. Native-born outlaws 437
XIII. Spasms of violence 478
XIV. Thinking about capitalism 522
XV. The travail of reform 567
XVI. Conclusion 612
Review Quotes
Daniel Horowitz, author of forthcoming Entertaining Entrepreneurs: Reality TV’s Shark Tank and the American Dream in Uncertain Times
"Written by one of the nation’s most prolific, influential, and respected historians of postwar America, Learning on the Left capaciously and compellingly explores the role that people associated with Brandeis University played in shaping the nation’s Left in the three decades after the university’s founding in 1948. In the vast literature on the history of American higher education there is, quite simply, nothing like this."
David A. Hollinger, author of Science, Jews, and Secular Culture
“Filled with fascinating stories, this book shows how the faculty and students of Brandeis University influenced and were influenced by liberal and radical politics. Herbert Marcuse, Anita Hill, Irving Howe, Abbie Hoffman, Martin Peretz, Michael Walzer, Pauli Murray and a host of other remarkable individuals flow in and out of Stephen J. Whitfield’s captivating pages. Learning on the Left explains how the official values of a university founded in 1948 to counteract antisemitism proved to be a fertile matrix for courageous truth-telling in countless domains, and a safe haven for political risk-taking.”
Julian Zelizer, author of Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker and the Rise of the New Republican Party
“From the moment of its founding, Brandeis University and the modern progressive tradition have been intertwined. In this wonderful book, Stephen Whitfield brings alive the students and scholars who helped to define the Left out of their experience at this premier institution of higher education.”
David M. Oshinsky, author of Polio: An American Story, winner of Pulitzer Prize for History.
"Rarely has a book about a college or university been as riveting—or such fun to read. Learning on the Left eschews the typical brick-and-mortar approach to trace the extraordinary impact of Brandeis, not yet a century old, upon the political movements, progressive reforms, and intellectual ferment of what we call 'modern liberalism.' How did Brandeis recruit such remarkable talent to a small, Jewish, nonsectarian institution? And why have so many of its graduates gone on to high-level careers in government, journalism, and academia? No one can better confront these questions than Steve Whitfield—the world-class historian and prize-winning teacher who spent his post-graduate years and professional life on the Brandeis campus. The result is a brilliant, shrewd, sometimes quirky journey into the soul of a very special place."
Colin Shindler | The Jewish Chronicle
"This fascinating book of vignettes of figures who have shaped our times will appeal to readers of a certain age — and to their perceptive heirs. A welcome reminder in the age of Trump of the best in America.”
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Education: Education--General Studies
Political Science: Political Behavior and Public Opinion
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