Stephen Whitfield, Learning on the Left, Political Profiles of Brandeis University (Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2020)

Abstract

This chapter analyzes Stephen Whitfield's Learning on the Left, Political Profiles of Brandeis University, which is considered a rounded, witty, wise, and compelling read. It talks about how the monograph provides an absorbing account of the people who touched and were touched by affiliation with a 1948 foundation that arose like an Aladdin's palace in the night. It also talks about Whitfield, who is known as a professor of American Studies at Brandeis University and a recognized prolific author. The chapter points out that Learning on the Left is not a systematic study of institutional governance, the organization of studies, curriculum disputes, quarrels between faculty and boards of trustees, or such familiar in-fighting, the recruitment of students, alumni relations, budgetary issues or town and gown. It is ultimately a love story by an author who appreciates what has made Brandeis so interesting.