The Politics of Truth : Selected Writings of C. Wright Mills

Here are 23 essays, interviews, and public letters representing the best of C. Wright Mills's "politics of truth." The first collection of Mills's writings to be published since 1963, these essays show how America's best known sociologist grew into a representative for dissenters in Europe, Latin America, and Europe, and was posthumously declared one of the three most influential figures in the international Left by the CIA. First published in Evergreen Review, Harper's, The Nation, Dissent, and New Left Review, these out-of-print and hard to find writings show Mills's growth from academic sociologist to intellectual maestro in command of a mature style, in search of an independent radical public to oppose the drift toward permanent war. Seminal papers including "Letter to the New Left" appear alongside notably prescient but lesser known meditations like "Are We Losing Our Sense of Belonging?" Historians interested in United States foreign policy and in the Latin American Left will find Mills's cogent and probing thoughts on these subjects, sociologists and engaged members of the citizenry who analyze the relationship between culture and politics will find no less incisive essays on these topics. John Summers provides both a new introduction to this book, including an overview of Mills' life and career, as well as annotations that restore each piece's context. Cover ......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright ......Page 5 Acknowledgements ......Page 8 Preface ......Page 10 Conents ......Page 12 Master Tasks for Intellectuals......Page 15 New Man of Power......Page 16 1. The Powerless People The Role of the Intellectual in Society......Page 26 2. The Intellectual and the Labor Leader......Page 38 3. Sociological Poetry......Page 46 4. Contribution to ‘‘Our Country and Our Culture: A Symposium’’......Page 50 5. On Intellectual Craftsmanship......Page 56 6. Thorstein Veblen......Page 76 7. IBM Plus Reality Plus Humanism=Sociology......Page 92 8. Are We Losing Our Sense of Belonging?......Page 100 9. The Conservative Mood......Page 108 10. Mass Society and Liberal Education......Page 120 11. On Knowledge and Power......Page 138 12. The Power Elite Comment on Criticism......Page 152 13. Science and Scientists......Page 168 14. A Pagan Sermon to the Christian Clergy......Page 176 15. The Man in the Middle......Page 186 16. The Big City......Page 198 17. Culture and Politics The Fourth Epoch......Page 206 18. The Cultural Apparatus......Page 216 19. The Decline of the Left......Page 226 20. On Latin America, the Left, and the U.S.......Page 236 21. Soviet Journal......Page 248 22. Listen, Yankee! The Cuban Case against the U.S.......Page 256 23. Letter to the New Left......Page 268 Bibliographical Note......Page 280 The Writings of C. Wright Mills ......Page 282 Index ......Page 306 C. Wright Mills was a radical public intellectual, a tough-talking, motorcycle-riding anarchist from Texas who taught sociology at Columbia University. Mills's three most influential books-- The Power Elite, White Collar , and The Sociological Imagination --were originally published by OUP and are considered classics. The first collection of his writings to be published since 1963, The Politics of Truth contains 23 out-of-print and hard-to-find writings which show his growth from academic sociologist to an intellectual maestro in command of a mature style, a dissenter who sought to inspire the public to oppose the drift toward permanent war. Given the political deceptions of recent years, Mills's truth-telling is more relevant than ever. Seminal papers including "Letter to the New Left" appear alongside lesser known meditations such as "Are We Losing Our Sense of Belonging?" John Summers provides fresh insights in his introduction, which gives an overview of Mills's life and career. Summers has also written annotations that establish each piece's context and has drawn up a comprehensive bibliography of Mills's published and unpublished writings. New man of power / by John Summers The powerless people : the role of the intellectual in society The intellectual and the labor leader Sociological poetry Contribution to our country and our culture : a symposium On intellectual craftsmanship Thorstein Veblen IBM plus reality plus humanism = sociology Are we losing our sense of belonging? The conservative mood Mass society and liberal education On knowledge and power The power elite : comment on criticism Science and scientists A pagan sermon to the Christian clergy The man in the middle The big city Culture and politics : the fourth epoch The cultural apparatus The decline of the left On Latin America, the left, and the U.S. Soviet journal Listen, Yankee! The Cuban case against the U.S. Letter to the new left. The Politics of Truth contains 23 out-of-print and hard-to-find writings which show Mills's growth from academic sociologist to an intellectual maestro in command of a mature style, a dissenter who sought to inspire the public to oppose the drift toward permanent war. Given the political deceptions of recent years, Mills's truth-telling is more relevant than ever. Seminal papers including "Letter to the New Left" appear alongside lesser known meditations such as "Are We Losing Our Sense of Belonging?" John Summers provides fresh insights in his introduction, which gives an overview of Mills's life and career