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Christopher Lasch, The New Radicalism in America 1889-1963: The Intellectual As a Social Type (Vintage Books, 1965; W.W. Norton & Co., 1997) Lasch's vivid biographies of social reformers such as Jane Addams, Mabel Dodge Luhan, Lincoln Steffens, Norman Mailer, Walter Lippman and Dwight MacDonald illustrate the shift made by the American liberal tradition away from politics and toward education, culture, and sexual mores. As with any such compilation, Lasch's choice of radicals was criticized, notably for focusing on intellectuals to the detriment of activists. "The most serious omission is that of the new ˇ®radicals' of the last few years, on the campuses, in the freedom movements, and in such organizations as SDS and PLP _ for whom many of Lasch's favorite radicals are relics of an unusable past," William Phillips wrote in Commentary. On the other hand, Lasch's intellectualization of radicalism provided a valuable overview during an important moment in American history, one which saw radicalism's spiritual locus move from the trade unions to the university. "Much of it points a way, indirect but legible, toward an adequate radical politics _ in which ˇ®social awareness' nourishes the sense of intellectual responsibility instead of cancelling it," Benjamin DeMott opined in Book Week. MORE: New York Times Book Review book review/essay about Lasch's last book, Women and the Common Life Christopher Lasch page on the NY Review of Books site Christopher Lasch vs. the elites by Roger Kimball, in the Upstream Journal Amazon |
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