The foreign-policy roundtable at the U.S. Intellectual History blog, taking off from Perry Anderson's NLR essays, has begun; Andrew Hartman's opening remarks are here. Other contributions will follow, including mine (to which I'll be adding a link, in the self-promoting tradition of the blogosphere). Update: My piece is here; essays by the other participants to follow.
Further update (7/17): Three pieces (counting the introductory post) in the roundtable are now up, and there is some discussion in the comments.
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8 comments:
Very interesting essay (relatedly I was meaning to get 'American Umpire', is it worth it reading ? )
Ronan you've read my piece before I even have posted a link to it! Let me post the link, then i'll answer the question.
American Umpire: I have it out from the library. I have not (need I even say this?) read it from cover to cover (or even close), but I have read in it, meaning here and there. It's very well written and snappy and prob wd actually be fun to sit down and read cover to cover, which I may do. (But do *you* ever do that w this kind of book, Ronan? ;))
The argument is another thing, and it's like the polar opposite of P. Anderson. I'd say it's not the work of a hack, but of an historian I just happen to disagree with. If I recall correctly, the acknowledgments say that a lot of it was written when she had a visiting fellowship or app't at the Hoover Institution, so that shd tell you something right there. ;)
Btw, I first became aware of the book when I posted here some months ago a v. brief note about an NYT op-ed she did in conjunction w (or soon after) its publication.
Btw again, I think I might recommend reading the P.Anderson essays, which are the length of a short book. (You can buy the hard copy or online New Left Review issue as a separate one-off thing; you don't have to subscribe to NLR.)
" But do *you* ever do that w this kind of book, Ronan? ;) "
Read cover to cover ? Na,not a chance. I usually dip in here and there on bits I'm interested in, leave it a little, then maybe come back to it. I'd generally finish a book in a few years : )(I used to feel 'guilty'about it, for want of a better word, but not so much now) People I know often ask me why I have all these books I never actually read!
It was actually here I first heard about the (Am Umpire) book I'm pretty sure (or from you somewhere)It's a pity its not that good as I like the look of the argument she lays out.
Yeah I might try get my hands on the Anderson essays(or just bite the bullet and get a sub)
For the record, though it may be unnecessary, I should probably
clarify that I *do* sometimes read books cover to cover. Outside of blog posts, what I have published in recent years is (are?) book reviews, and I would not want anyone to think that I don't read the books I review, because I certainly do read them. (There may be an occasional reviewer who takes a shortcut, but
I don't. I have occasionally wished I could re-do an aspect of a review, but that's a different issue.)
LFC
So far I have only had the time to skim yours which is more than up to your usual quality. More reading this week end.
American Umpire sounds lie it might be a good read.
Hank,
I think you would probably like 'American Umpire'.
I also think you will probably not agree (entirely) with my USIH piece. But that's fine.
Plus a general note:
I think in the notes to Nick Witham's USIH post he links to pdf's of the P. Anderson essays (though I would have to go back and double-check this). If so, that means they are accessible for free.
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