Desolation and Enlightenment

Ira Katznelson is Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History at Columbia University. He is the author of many books, including Marxism and the City and the award-winning Liberalism's Crooked Circle: Letters to Adam Michnik. He has served as president of the Social Science History Association and of the Politics and History Section of the American Political Science Association.

• Preface and Acknowledgments 1. Beyond Common Measure 2. The Origins of Dark Times 3. A Seminar on the State 4. A New Objectivity Index

In this masterful excursion into the history of ideas, Katznelson explores how a 'reconstructionist' generation of political scholars has since attempted to make sense of these dark times and rethink the bases of political theory and liberal community... Although the book was written largely before the attacks of September 11, 2001, it speaks powerfully to today's struggles to reconcile liberal values with a new threat of violence. -- G. John Ikenberry Foreign Affairs Katznelson's book remarkably (re)describes post-World War II American political studies... This is an important book. -- Maurice Meilleur Antioch Review Katznelson's book is an excellent study of one episode in the history of social sciences, an episode that is by no means interesting only to historians. Historical institutionalism is still a very productive approach andDesolation and Enlightenment helps to identify the strengths and limitations of this approach that may be hidden to its contemporary advocates and critics... Katznelson's work shows how real the dilemmas of the political studies enlightenment group are to all of us. -- Kamila Stullerova European Journal of Social Theory Desolation and Enlightenment is a passionate call to arms... [Katznelson's] book provides inspiration and considerable guidance for anyone who believes in the social responsibilities of intellectuals. Ethics & International Affairs Katznelson's book is well written, a clear yet crystalline, multifaceted examination of the plight of Enlightenment thought. Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory