© Columbia University Press
Desolation and Enlightenment: Political Knowledge After Total War, Totalitarianism, and the Holocaust
Paper, 208 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-11195-9
$24.00
/ £14.00
April, 2003
Cloth, 208 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-11194-2
$77.50
/ £45.50
"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
"Brilliant . . . an event not only in the history of ideas, but in our own history, too." — E. J. Dionne, Jr., author of Why Americans Hate Politics
"The larger intellectual and normative project in this brilliant book is to revise and extend the legacies of Enlightenment thought so as to help us confront war and violence. . . . Today, when we once again face a period of desolations and a new type of total war, Katznelson's book assumes a whole new importance." — Saskia Sassen, author of Losing Control? Sovereignty in an Age of Globalization