Corey Robin

Last updated

Corey Robin (born 1967) is an American political theorist, journalist and professor [1] of political science at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has written books on the role of fear in political life, tracing its presence from Aristotle through the war on terror, and on the nature of conservatism in the modern world, from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump. Most recently, he is the author of a study of Justice Clarence Thomas that argues that the mainspring of Thomas's jurisprudence is a combination of black nationalism and black conservatism.

Contents

Early life and education

Raised in a Jewish family in Chappaqua, New York, [2] Robin graduated from Princeton University, majoring in history, and received his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University in 1999. [3] [4]

Career

Robin is the author of the books Fear: The History of a Political Idea, which won the Best First Book in Political Theory Award from the American Political Science Association, and The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin. Upon publication in 2011, The Reactionary Mind immediately generated tremendous controversy and discussion, including an extended back and forth in the letters page of The New York Review of Books [5] as well as an article on the controversy in The New York Times . [6] But with the ascent of Donald Trump, the book came to be seen as one of the most prescient analyses of modern American politics, leading The New Yorker, in a lengthy reconsideration of the book, to call it "the book that predicted Trump." [7] A second edition of The Reactionary Mind was published in 2018 with a new subtitle, "From Edmund Burke to Donald Trump", and was received positively. [8] [9] [10]

As interim director at the Graduate Center for Worker Education at Brooklyn College in 2013, Robin was part of the decision-making process to restructure the program. In a Portside essay, Robin urged readers to ignore a petition protesting the elimination of funding. [11] On August 1, 2013, Portside published a statement by Immanuel Ness, editor of WorkingUSA: The Journal of Labor and Society, also of Brooklyn College, countering Robin and urging that the petition be signed. [12] Robin responded to these criticisms, providing a litany of details regarding his opinions about mismanagement and questionable use of the facility. [13]

Robin has turned his attention to the case of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Often dismissed by the left, Thomas has become one of the more influential figures on the Court. Robin's book, The Enigma of Clarence Thomas (2019), is the first to examine the black nationalist roots of Thomas's jurisprudence and the first book from the left to take seriously Thomas's jurisprudence of the right. It garnered pre-publication plaudits from Kirkus Reviews [14] and The Atlantic . [15]

While Robin devotes much of his scholarly research to the right, he also writes extensively for newspapers and magazines about a wide variety of issues of concern on the left. In 2018, he wrote a widely noticed essay in the New York Times on the meaning of socialism today, which examines how Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are remaking a 19th-century tradition for the twenty-first century. He has written widely about the politics of labor and the workplace, and the recovery of freedom for the left. He also writes about intellectuals such as Hannah Arendt, [16] [17] Eric Hobsbawm, [18] Cass Sunstein, [19] and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Publishers Marketplace reported in March 2023 that Robin was writing a forthcoming work, King Capital, described as "a history of economics and its discontents," to be published by Random House. [20]

His articles have appeared in The New Yorker , Harper's Magazine , The New York Times , The London Review of Books , n+1 , the American Political Science Review , Social Research , Politico , and Theory and Event.

He is a contributing editor for the socialist magazine Jacobin . [21] [22]

Political views

Robin is left-wing and anti-Zionist. [2]

Books

Articles

Related Research Articles

Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilisation in which it appears. In Western culture, depending on the particular nation, conservatives seek to promote and preserve a range of institutions, such as the nuclear family, organised religion, the military, the nation-state, property rights, rule of law, aristocracy, and monarchy. Conservatives tend to favour institutions and practices that enhance social order and historical continuity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Arendt</span> German American historian and philosopher (1906–1975)

Hannah Arendt was a German-American historian and philosopher. She was one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century.

In political science, a reactionary or a reactionist is a person who holds political views that favor a return to the status quo ante—the previous political state of society—which the person believes possessed positive characteristics that are absent from contemporary society. As a descriptor term, reactionary derives from the ideological context of the left–right political spectrum. As an adjective, the word reactionary describes points of view and policies meant to restore a status quo ante.

<i>National Review</i> American conservative editorial magazine

National Review is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich Lowry, and its editor is Ramesh Ponnuru.

Paleoconservatism is a political philosophy and a paternalistic strain of conservatism in the United States stressing American nationalism, Christian ethics, regionalism, traditionalist conservatism, and non-interventionism. Paleoconservatism's concerns overlap with those of the Old Right that opposed the New Deal in the 1930s and 1940s as well as with paleolibertarianism. By the start of the 21st century, the movement had begun to focus more on issues of race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claremont Institute</span> American conservative think tank

The Claremont Institute is a conservative think tank based in Upland, California. The institute was founded in 1979 by four students of Harry V. Jaffa. It produces the Claremont Review of Books,The American Mind, and other publications.

Criticism of libertarianism includes ethical, economic, environmental and pragmatic concerns. With right-libertarianism, critics have argued that laissez-faire capitalism does not necessarily produce the best or most efficient outcome, and that libertarianism's philosophy of individualism and policies of deregulation fail to prevent the abuse of natural resources. Criticism of left-libertarianism is instead mainly related to anarchism. Left and right-libertarians also engage in criticism of each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Mallon</span> American novelist, essayist, and critic (born 1951)

Thomas Mallon is an American novelist, essayist, and critic. His novels are renowned for their attention to historical detail and context and for the author's crisp wit and interest in the "bystanders" to larger historical events. He is the author of ten books of fiction, including Henry and Clara, Two Moons, Dewey Defeats Truman, Aurora 7, Bandbox, Fellow Travelers, Watergate, Finale, Landfall, and most recently Up With the Sun. He has also published nonfiction on plagiarism, diaries, letters and the Kennedy assassination, as well as two volumes of essays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myron Magnet</span> American journalist and historian (born 1944)

Myron James Magnet is an American journalist and historian. He was the editor of City Journal from 1994 to 2007. His latest book, Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution, was published in 2019 by Encounter Books.

<i>Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution</i> 1989 book by Simon Schama

Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution is a book by the historian Simon Schama, published in 1989, the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
"The terror," declared Schama in the book, "was merely 1789 with a higher body count; violence ... was not just an unfortunate side effect ... it was the Revolution's source of collective energy. It was what made the Revolution revolutionary." In short, “From the very beginning [...] violence was the motor of revolution.” Schama considers that the French Revolutionary Wars were the logical corollary of the universalistic language of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and of the universalistic principles of the Revolution which led to inevitable conflict with old-regime Europe.

Traditionalist conservatism, often known as classical conservatism, is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of transcendent moral principles, manifested through certain posited natural laws to which it is claimed society should adhere. It is one of many different forms of conservatism. Traditionalist conservatism, as known today, is rooted in Edmund Burke's political philosophy, which represented a combination of Whiggism and Jacobitism, as well as the similar views of Joseph de Maistre, who attributed the rationalist rejection of Christianity during previous decades of being directly responsible for the Reign of Terror which followed the French Revolution. Traditionalists value social ties and the preservation of ancestral institutions above what they perceive as excessive rationalism and individualism. One of the first uses of the phrase "conservatism" began around 1818 with a monarchist newspaper named "Le Conservateur", written by Francois Rene de Chateaubriand with the help of Louis de Bonald.

<i>Nixonland</i> Work of history by Rick Perlstein

Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America is a history book written by Rick Perlstein, released in May 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoram Hazony</span> Israeli-American philosopher (born 1964)

Yoram Reuben Hazony is an Israeli-American philosopher, Bible scholar, and political theorist. He is president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem and serves as the chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation. He has argued for national conservatism in his 2018 book The Virtue of Nationalism and 2022's Conservatism: A Rediscovery.

Rich Benjamin is an American cultural critic, anthropologist, and author. Benjamin is perhaps best known for the non-fiction book Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America. He is also a lecturer and a public intellectual, who has discussed issues on NPR, PBS, CNN and MSNBC. His writing appears in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian and The New York Review of Books.

<i>Trump: The Art of the Deal</i> Book by Donald Trump and Tony Schwartz (1987)

Trump: The Art of the Deal is a 1987 book credited to Donald J. Trump and journalist Tony Schwartz. Part memoir and part business-advice book, it was the first book credited to Trump, and it helped to make him a household name. It reached number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, stayed there for 13 weeks, and altogether held a position on the list for 48 weeks.

<i>The Reactionary Mind</i> 2011 book by Corey Robin

The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin is a 2011 book written by political theorist Corey Robin. It argues that conservatism from the 17th century to today is based on the principle "that some are fit, and thus ought, to rule others". Robin argues that rather than being about liberty, limited government, resistance to change, or public virtue, conservatism is a "mode of counterrevolutionary practice" to preserve hierarchy and power.

Traditionalist conservatism in the United States is a political, social philosophy and variant of conservatism. It has been influenced by thinkers such as John Adams and Russell Kirk.

Edmund Fawcett is a British political journalist and author.

<i>Conservatism: An Invitation to the Great Tradition</i> 2017 book by Roger Scruton

Conservatism: An Invitation to the Great Tradition is a 2017 book by English philosopher Roger Scruton, in which the author outlines the development of modern conservatism. It is intended as an introduction to conservatism, with the author stating, "I have written this book in the hope of encouraging well-meaning liberals to take a look at what [the] arguments [for conservatism] really are”.

References

  1. ↑ "Faculty Profile - Brooklyn College". www.brooklyn.cuny.edu. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Is Corey Robin the Ultimate Facebook Lefty, Twitter Radical, and Anti-Zionist Scourge?". Tablet Magazine. January 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ Robin, E. Corey (24 August 1999). "Fear: Biography of an idea". Dissertation Abstracts International. Retrieved 24 August 2018– via orbis.library.yale.edu Library Catalog.
  4. ↑ "Corey Robin, Faculty Profile". Brooklyn College. April 10, 2023.
  5. ↑ Robin, Corey (February 23, 2012). "The Reactionary Mind: An Exchange". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  6. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (January 18, 2012). "Online Fracas for a Critic of the Right". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  7. ↑ "The Book That Predicted Trump". The New Yorker. 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  8. ↑ "Conservatives and Counterrevolutionaries: Corey Robin's "The Reactionary Mind"". Los Angeles Review of Books. 19 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "A Book for Reactionary Times". The New Republic.
  10. ↑ "Reconsidering "The Reactionary Mind" in the age of you-know-who". Salon. 19 November 2017.
  11. ↑ "Corey Robin: Please Do Not Sign Brooklyn College Worker Ed Petition". 31 July 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Support Worker Education at CUNY - Response to Corey Robin - Still Another Perspective on Worker Ed Program". August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "More Information on Brooklyn College Worker Ed Center". coreyrobin.com. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  14. ↑ (“a penetrating profile of the Supreme Court’s longest-serving justice”)[ incomplete short citation ]
  15. ↑ ("In his provocative new book, The Enigma of Clarence Thomas, Corey Robin...is deconstructing a sphinx, and his point carries the uncomfortable ring of truth.")[ incomplete short citation ]
  16. ↑ Robin, Corey (24 August 2018). "The New Socialists". The New York Times.
  17. ↑ "The Trials of Hannah Arendt". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06.
  18. ↑ "Eric Hobsbawm, the Communist Who Explained History". The New Yorker.
  19. ↑ "How Intellectuals Create a Public". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  20. ↑ "King Capital" . Retrieved 2023-04-11.
  21. ↑ Szalai, Jennifer (23 September 2019). "'The Enigma of Clarence Thomas' Makes a Strong Case for Its Provocative Thesis (Published 2019)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  22. ↑ Robin, Corey. "Opinion | The Clarence Thomas Scandal Is About More Than Corruption". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  23. ↑ https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-reactionary-mind-9780190692001?cc=de&lang=en& [ bare URL ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.