1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910452728903321

Autore

Gross Neil <1971->

Titolo

Why are professors liberal and why do conservatives care? [[electronic resource] /] / Neil Gross

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge, Mass., : Harvard University Press, 2013

ISBN

0-674-07451-3

0-674-07448-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (416 p.)

Disciplina

378.1/2

Soggetti

College teachers - Political activity - United States

Liberalism - United States

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Politics of American Professors -- Chapter 2. Why Are They Liberal? The Standard Explanations -- Chapter 3. Political Self-Selection and the Academic Profession -- Chapter 4. Political Differences among Professors -- Chapter 5. The Knowledge- Politics Problem -- Chapter 6. The Campaign against "Liberal Bias" -- Chapter 7. Why Conservatives Care -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Some observers see American academia as a bastion of leftist groupthink that indoctrinates students and silences conservative voices. Others see a protected enclave that naturally produces free-thinking, progressive intellectuals. Both views are self-serving, says Neil Gross, but neither is correct. Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? explains how academic liberalism became a self-reproducing phenomenon, and why Americans on both the left and right should take notice. Academia employs a higher percentage of liberals than nearly any other profession. But the usual explanations-hiring bias against conservatives, correlations of liberal ideology with high intelligence-do not hold up to scrutiny. Drawing on a range of original research, statistics, and interviews, Gross argues that "political typing" plays an overlooked role in shaping academic liberalism. For



historical reasons, the professoriate developed a reputation for liberal politics early in the twentieth century. As this perception spread, it exerted a self-selecting influence on bright young liberals, while deterring equally promising conservatives. Most professors' political views formed well before they stepped behind the lectern for the first time. Why Are Professors Liberal and Why Do Conservatives Care? shows how studying the political sympathies of professors and their critics can shed light not only on academic life but on American politics, where the modern conservative movement was built in no small part around opposition to the "liberal elite" in higher education. This divide between academic liberals and nonacademic conservatives makes accord on issues as diverse as climate change, immigration, and foreign policy more difficult.