'In the Name of Freedom':a Review of Judith Friedlander's A Light in Dark Times (2018,Columbia University Press)

摘要

Perhaps a similar type of review symposium to the one held by the editors of Contemporary Sociology in 1987 is merited, as I believe .A Light in Dark Times does so much that it deserves considered critical attention beyond what may be achieved in this brief medium. The project is formidable in its endeavor and broad in its scope and marches with purpose to show an unvarnished account of the New School's commitment (and sometimes struggle to maintain) academic freedom "against the backdrop of the political upheavals that marked 'the short twentieth century'" (p. ⅩⅦ). The text stays true to its name and the author is fearless in her method-pulling at the seams of certain long-held myths and complicating previously infallible heroes. She brings the threads together to better contextualize social and political forces at work and, adding more than 50 years to the story, illustrates what is required of both people and an institution, to stay true to their values through global wars, humanitarian crisis, cults of personality, and economic realities.