Taking Back the Academy!

by Jim Downs (editor), Eric Foner (Foreword), Jennifer Manion (Editor)

Taking Back the Academy! is not only an historical look at activism on campus since the 1960s, but also an exploration of the ways in which the historian's craft leads to social change. Written against the current political wave that views liberal academics as treasonous and unpatriotic, these authors defend political dissent and powerfully document the importance of activism and public debate on college campuses. From the controversies surrounding the current war to continuing problems of identity politics on campus, Taking Back the Academy! covers a number of issues raging on today's university campuses.

236 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2004

About the author

Jim Downs is Gilder Lehrman–National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Civil War Era Studies and History at Gettysburg College. He is the editor of Civil War History and author and editor of six other books, including Sick from Freedom: African-American Illness and Suffering during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though informed discussion of how (or, some would say, whether) universities can be staging grounds for radical struggle is sorely needed, this essay compilation largely fails to scratch far enough below the surface to add much to what leftists readily understand about the topic. Notable exceptions are chapters on graduate student unionization drivess, as well as the closing essay on recent organizing by radical faculty.