American Academia and the Survival of Marxist Ideas

"This book is highly...relevant to the current trends and problems of American higher education as well as the broader and more timeless issues of philosophy and epistemology. It is also an outstanding contribution to the sociology of intellectuals, parts of it reminding this reader of Raymond Aron's classic, The Opium of Intellectuals, of which it is a worthy successor in some regards. A lucid style and thorough documentation enhance the impact of this excellent, highly original study, which in the final analysis is an all too rare synthesis of what people think, how they behave, and how institutions function (or fail to function)."-Paul Hollander, Professor of Sociology University of Massachusetts, Amherst ?[I]nteresting and original....This volume...represents a valuable and rare contribution to understanding contemporary American academic life and the mindset of an influential group of academic intellectuals.?-Orbis "YInteresting and original....This volume...represents a valuable and rare contribution to understanding contemporary American academic life and the mindset of an influential group of academic intellectuals."-Orbis "[I]nteresting and original....This volume...represents a valuable and rare contribution to understanding contemporary American academic life and the mindset of an influential group of academic intellectuals."-Orbis

DARIO FERNANDEZ-MORERA is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies at Northwestern University. He has published widely on critical discourse, the cultural encounter between European and Amerindians, Spanish literature, and contemporary historical and cultural events in Latin America.

Introduction The Marxist Approach in Academia I The Marxist Approach in Academia II The Pursuit of Power The Marxist Approach to Ethics I The Marxist Approach to Ethics II The Marxist Defenses I: From "Denial" to "Apocalyptic Visions and Elastic Displacement of the Objects of Oppression and the Sources of Liberation" The Marxist Defenses II: From "Misery as an Ideal" to the "Desperation Defense" Problems of the Marxist Approach: Practice Problems of the Marxist Approach: Theory Conclusion: The Strange World of the Academic Intellectuals Suggested Further Readings Index