Mandarins of the Future: Modernization Theory in Cold War America - Rilegato

Gilman, Nils

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0801873991 ISBN 13: 9780801873997

Casa editrice: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, 2004

Riassunto

Modernization theory dominated the thinking of American social scientists examining questions of the postcolonial world in the 1950s and 60s. This work explores how the theory came to dominate academic and governmental thinking, arguing that the modernization theorists sought, through the optimism of postwar liberalism, to change countries to look more American or "more like us." As visions of "us" changed, so did modernization theory, eventually declining and disappearing along with liberal confidence in modernity. The fortunes of modernization theory are examined in the cases of an academic department, a funded research community, and an academic think tank with strong government ties. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Recensione:

"Although a number of important works have appeared in the last few years on modernization theory and American foreign policy in the 1960s, Mandarins of the Future will be definitive, perhaps for decades to come. Gilman provides not only the fullest history of modernization theory, and its linkages to actual government policy formation, but he explores in depth a fascinating slice of American intellectual history in the 1960s and early 1970s. His analysis of foundation and academic politics and their interface with government agencies is detailed, original and compelling." -- Michael Adas, Rutgers University

"The American engagement with 'modernization' is one of the most important episodes in the intellectual, political, and diplomatic history of the Cold War epoch, filled with cautionary tales for our own time. Gilman's sophisticated, clearly-argued, archive-based interpretation is a commanding contribution to our understanding of the terms on which the United States interacts with the rest of the world." -- David A. Hollinger, University of California, Berkeley

"The detailed analysis and broad-ranging explorations in Mandarins of the Future will interest scholars and graduate students in a variety of areas." -- Johanna Bockman, Journal of Cold War Studies

"Intellectual fashions come and go, and this well-researched book artfully analyzes the rise and fall of one of the more powerful paradigms in post--World War II American political science -- so-called modernization theory." -- William B. Quandt, Ethics and International Affairs

"Mandarins of the Future both helps us understand a past paradigm in its historical context and offers insights for those seeking to comprehend the social world of today." -- Daniel Geary, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences

"Gilman's analysis is original, well-researched, probing, and provocative." -- Walter Hixson, American Historical Review

"The author carefully surveys and explains modernization theory and how it shaped the U.S. post--WWII foreign policy to contain Communism during the Cold War." -- Choice

"Development specialists and scholars of the academy... will welcome Gilman's attention to the nuances of academic debate." -- Deborah Kisatsky, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

L'autore:

Nils Gilman is an independent scholar and practitioner at the Global Business Network in San Francisco.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0801873991
• ISBN 13: 9780801873997
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 329