Russell A. Berman (born May 14, 1950) is an American

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

specializing in

German studies German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, Germa ...

and Comparative literature. He serves as the Walter A. Haas Professor in the Humanities at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

. He is also a senior fellow at the

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, a ...

. He is the director of Stanford's Thinking Matters program. He previously served as associate dean and director of Stanford's Overseas Studies Program. Born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, Berman received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

in 1972 and completed a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

at Washington University in 1979. Since 1979, Berman has been on the faculty at

. In 2004, he became the editor of ''

Telos Telos (; ) is a term used by philosopher Aristotle to refer to the final cause of a natural organ or entity, or of a work of human art. Intentional actualization of potential or inherent purpose,"Telos.''Philosophy Terms'' Retrieved 3 May 2020. ...

'', a quarterly journal of

critical theory A critical theory is any approach to social philosophy that focuses on society and culture to reveal, critique and challenge power structures. With roots in sociology and literary criticism, it argues that social problems stem more from s ...

which has included extensive discussions of the

Frankfurt School The Frankfurt School (german: Frankfurter Schule) is a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), dur ...

as well as

Carl Schmitt Carl Schmitt (; 11 July 1888 – 7 April 1985) was a German jurist, political theorist, and prominent member of the Nazi Party. Schmitt wrote extensively about the effective wielding of political power. A conservative theorist, he is noted as ...

. In 2011, he served as president of the

Modern Language Association The Modern Language Association of America, often referred to as the Modern Language Association (MLA), is widely considered the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature. The MLA aims to "st ...

(MLA). Together with his protégé David Tse-Chien Pan, he served on the U.S. State Department's Commission on Unalienable Rights convened by Secretary of State

Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served under President Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United State ...

and led by Harvard professor Mary Ann Glendon.

Selected bibliography

*''Between Fontane and Tucholsky: Literary Criticism and the Public Sphere in Imperial Germany'' (New York: Lang, 1983) *''The Rise of the Modern German Novel: Crisis and Charisma'' (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1986) - Outstanding Book in German Studies Award of the German Studies Association, 1988. *''Modern Culture and Critical Theory: Art, Politics, and the Legacy of the Frankfurt School'' (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989) *''Cultural Studies of Modern Germany: History, Representation, and Nationhood'' (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1993)
"Culture in the Conservative Revolution: The American Debate."
''

'' 101, Fall 1994. *''Enlightenment or Empire: Colonial Discourse in German Culture'' (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998) - Outstanding Book in German Studies Award of the

German Studies Association The German Studies Association (GSA) is an international organization of scholars in history, literature, economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services ...

, 2000. *''Anti-Americanism in Europe: A Cultural Problem'' (Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 2004) *''Fiction Sets You Free: On Literature In History'' (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2007)
"Representing the Trial: Judith Butler Reads Hannah Arendt Reading Adolf Eichmann"
in ''

Fathom Journal The Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM) is a UK-based organisation which acts to promote awareness of Israel and the Middle East in the United Kingdom. BICOM publishes materials such as briefings and a journal, ''Fathom'', ...

'', Spring (2015)

References

External links

1950 births 20th-century American academics 21st-century American academics American literary critics Comparative literature academics Critical theorists German literature academics Harvard University alumni Literature educators Living people Professors of German in the United States Stanford University Department of Comparative Literature faculty Stanford University Department of German faculty Washington University in St. Louis alumni Presidents of the Modern Language Association {{US-academic-stub