A Light in Dark Times : The New School for Social Research and Its University in Exile

The New School for Social Research opened in 1919 as an act of protest. Founded in the name of academic freedom, it quickly emerged as a pioneer in adult education—providing what its first president, Alvin Johnson, liked to call "the continuing education of the educated." By the mid-1920s, the New School had become the place to go to hear leading figures lecture on politics and the arts and recent developments in new fields of inquiry, such as anthropology and psychoanalysis. Then in 1933, after Hitler rose to power, Johnson created the University in Exile within the New School. Welcoming nearly two hundred refugees, Johnson, together with these exiled scholars, defiantly maintained the great traditions of Europe's imperiled universities. Judith Friedlander reconstructs the history of the New School in the context of ongoing debates over academic freedom and the role of education in liberal democracies. Against the backdrop of World War I and the first red scare, the rise of fascism and McCarthyism, the student uprisings during the Vietnam War and the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe, Friedlander tells a dramatic story of intellectual, political, and financial struggle through illuminating sketches of internationally renowned scholars and artists. These include, among others, Charles A. Beard, John Dewey, José Clemente Orozco, Robert Heilbroner, Hannah Arendt, and Ágnes Heller. Featured prominently as well are New School students, trustees, and academic leaders. As the New School prepares to celebrate its one-hundredth anniversary, A Light in Dark Times offers a timely reflection on the legacy of this unique institution, which has boldly defended dissident intellectuals and artists in the United States and overseas. "Founded in 1919 in the name of academic freedom, the New School for Social Research quickly became a pioneer in adult education--what its first president, Alvin Johnson, called "the continuing education of the educated." During the 1920s, the New School became the place to go to hear famous people lecture on politics, the arts, and recent developments in new fields of inquiry such as anthropology and psychoanalysis. In 1933 Johnson opened the University in Exile within the New School, providing visas and jobs for nearly two hundred refugees fleeing Hitler. And through these exiled scholars, he re-created in miniature the great intellectual traditions of Europe's imperiled universities. In this book, Judith Friedlander reconstructs the history of the New School in the context of ongoing debates over academic freedom, intellectual dissidents, and democratic education. Against the backdrop of World War I and the first Red Scare, the Hitler years and McCarthyism, the student uprisings during the Vietnam War and the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe, Friedlander tells a dramatic story of academic, political, and financial struggle through brief sketches of New School administrators, faculty members, trustees, and students, among them Alvin Johnson and the political philosopher Hannah Arendt. As this unique educational institution prepares to celebrate its one hundredth anniversary, A Light in Dark Times offers a timely reflection on the New School's legacy, which can serve as an inspiration for the academic community today"-- Provided by publisher CONTENTS Prologue: In the Archives PART I: A SCHOOL OF SOCIAL RESEARCH 1. The First Founding Moment 2. Alvin Johnson and The New Republic 3. Columbia University 4. The Idea Takes Shape 5. The New School Opens 6. Alvin Johnson Takes Over PART II: THE UNIVERSITIES IN EXILE 7. The Founding of the German University in Exile 8. The University in Exile Opens 9. Ring the Alarm 10. Ecole Libre des Hautes Etudes PART III: THE MIDDLE YEARS 11. Alvin Johnson Retires 12. The Red Scare 13. The Orozco Mural 14. “The New School Really Isn’t News Any Longer” 15. “Save the School” PART IV: “BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE” 16. The “New” New School 17. Three Doctoral Programs at Risk PART V: RENEWING THE LEGACY 18. Rebuilding the Graduate Faculty 19. Rekindling the Spirit Epilogue: Extending the Legacy Appendix A: Extended Notes and Commentary for Chapter 6 Appendix B: Extended Notes and Commentary for Chapter 7 Appendix C: Extended Notes and Commentary for Chapter 9 Appendix D: Extended Notes and Commentary for Chapter 18 Acknowledgments Notes Index