ERIC Number: EJ1234237
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Aug
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-2680
EISSN: N/A
The Case for Cleaning House: Sidney Hook and the Ethics of Academic Freedom during the McCarthy Era
Nemeth, Julian
History of Education Quarterly, v57 n3 p399-426 Aug 2017
Sidney Hook set the terms of debate on Communism, higher education, and academic freedom in the postwar United States. His view that Communists lacked the independence necessary for teaching and research--a view forged in the heated debates of New York City's radical left in the 1930s--provided the rationale for firing Communist professors across the country in the late 1940s and 1950s. Relying on close readings of underutilized archival sources, this article explores the development of Hook's thinking, charts his impact on key players in the period's higher education establishment (such as philosopher John Dewey and the American Association of University Professors), and outlines the way his writings helped lead to faculty dismissals at the University of Washington and New York University. The article also highlights the work of students and professors who challenged Hook's anti-Communist position, revealing a rich and often neglected mid-century discourse on academic freedom.
Descriptors: Social Systems, Academic Freedom, Educational History, United States History, Higher Education, Educational Practices, Educational Philosophy, Teacher Dismissal, College Faculty, Activism
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Washington; New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A