Samuel Huntington (1927-2008) and the intellectual history of the 20th century

塞缪尔·亨廷顿（1927-2008）与20世纪思想史

• 批准号: 440042295
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Jan Eckel
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Lehrstuhl für Neueste Geschichte und Zeitgeschichte
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/440042295?language=en
• 关键词: Samuel; Huntington; 1927; 2008; intellectual

Samuel Huntington was an authoritative figure in American political science – and an unorthodox public intellectual. From the beginning of his career in the 1950s until his death in 2008, he was at the forefront of intellectual discussions about the challenges of postcolonial state-building, conflicts in American society, conceptions of global order, and the role of the United States in the world. His work proved deeply polarizing and has remained so to this day – while many hailed him as a clairvoyant observer, others disparaged his books as ideological pamphlets lacking empirical depth. This controversial reception notwithstanding, Huntington crucially shaped American political science and pursued his career in constant proximity to the centers of political power. The Harvard professor became active in a number of privately funded think tanks and government bodies, advised various American governments, and provided expertise in debates on political reform in countries such as Brazil and South Africa.This project aims to provide the first comprehensive historical study of Huntington’s intellectual biography, examining his political thought as well as his work as an expert and the reception of his writings. The study will analyze in depth how the political scientist developed his worldview and crafted his interpretations of momentous social and global transformations. Moreover, the project will pay close attention to the formative influence that his academic environment and his manifold experiences as a political advisor had on his thought. Finally, to assess Huntington’s significance as a public intellectual his work needs to be placed in the defining social and political debates of his time.Explaining Huntington’s thought and career may help to expand our understanding of political and academic developments in the United States in several ways. Since he served as an advisor for both Democratic and Republican administrations over the course of several decades, his biography sheds light on the persistence of consensus in policy circles even while the political camps grew increasingly divided. Furthermore, Huntington emerged as a visionary thinker in the debates about the nature of global order after the Cold War, which have received scant attention among historians. The proposed biographical study offers a chance to historicize these debates and to use them as a fresh vantage point to rethink the intellectual history of the twentieth century. Finally, Huntington was part of an international community of experts as well as an intellectual of worldwide renown. Tracing his academic career thus opens a window into the transnational entanglements of the American intellectual scene.

塞缪尔·亨廷顿是美国政治学的权威人物--也是一位非正统的公共知识分子。从20世纪50年代开始他的职业生涯，直到他在2008年去世，他是在关于后殖民国家建设的挑战，美国社会的冲突，全球秩序的概念，以及美国在世界上的作用的知识讨论的最前沿。他的作品被证明是两极分化的，直到今天仍然如此--虽然许多人称赞他是一个有洞察力的观察者，但其他人认为他的书是缺乏经验深度的意识形态小册子。尽管如此，亨廷顿还是对美国政治学产生了至关重要的影响，并在不断接近政治权力中心的情况下追求自己的职业生涯。这位哈佛教授活跃于许多私人资助的智库和政府机构，为美国多个政府提供咨询，并在巴西和南非等国的政治改革辩论中提供专业知识。本项目旨在提供第一个全面的历史研究亨廷顿的知识分子传记，考察他的政治思想以及他作为专家的工作和他的著作的接受情况。该研究将深入分析政治学家如何发展他的世界观，并精心制作他对重大社会和全球变革的解释。此外，该项目将密切关注他的学术环境和他作为政治顾问的多方面经历对他思想的形成影响。最后，要评估亨廷顿作为公共知识分子的重要性，需要将他的工作置于他那个时代的社会和政治辩论中。解释亨廷顿的思想和职业生涯可能有助于从几个方面扩大我们对美国政治和学术发展的理解。由于他在几十年的时间里担任民主党和共和党政府的顾问，他的传记揭示了即使在政治阵营日益分裂的情况下，政策界的共识仍然存在。此外，亨廷顿在关于冷战后全球秩序性质的争论中作为一个有远见的思想家出现，这在历史学家中很少受到关注。传记研究的提出提供了一个将这些争论历史化的机会，并将其作为重新思考20世纪思想史的一个新Vantage。最后，亨廷顿是国际专家团体的一员，也是世界知名的知识分子。追溯他的学术生涯，从而打开了一扇窗户，进入美国知识界的跨国纠葛。