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John Patrick Diggins (April 1, 1935 – January 28, 2009) was an American professor of history at the
University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...
,
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, and the City University of New York Graduate Center. He was the author/editor of more than a dozen books and thirty articles on widely varied topics in U.S. intellectual history.


Early life and education

Diggins was born in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
to John Diggins Sr., who worked for the City of San Francisco as a gardener, and Anne Naughton Diggins. Both of his parents were immigrants from Ireland. Raised in a Roman Catholic household, he attended and graduated from
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, commonly known as SHC, is a Catholic Church, Catholic school located in the Cathedral Hill, San Francisco, California, Cathedral Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Founded in 1852, Sacred Heart Cat ...
School. Diggins received a bachelor's degree from the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, in 1957, a master's degree from San Francisco State College, and a doctorate in History from the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
in 1964. He was an assistant professor at San Francisco State College from 1963 to 1969; an associate professor, and then full professor at the
University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...
from 1969 to 1990; and from 1990, a Distinguished Professor at the
CUNY Graduate Center The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Division of Graduate Studies at City University ...
.Grimes, William
"John P. Diggins, 73, Historian, Dies"
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', January 29, 2009. Accessed January 30, 2009.


Career

Diggins taught history at
San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...
until 1969, when he accepted a position at UC Irvine. There, he served as an associate professor. In 1990, Diggins moved to City University of New York Graduate Center (CUNY), where he stayed for two decades. He served as acting director of the Graduate Center from 1996 to 1997. For a year, Diggins held the chair in American Civilization at the Γ‰cole des hautes Γ©tudes, Paris, and was also a visiting professor at Cambridge and Princeton Universities. Additionally, Diggins was a consultant and frequent lecturer at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
and
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. Diggins' first book was ''Mussolini and Fascism: The View from America,'' in which he described the popularity of the Italian dictator prior to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the reaction to him in the U.S. The book won Diggins the 1972 John H. Dunning Prize. He then wrote ''The American Left in the Twentieth Century (1973),'' which was later revised in 1992 as ''The Rise and Fall of the American Left''. In this book, Diggins was critical of the
New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...
and even tougher on the academic left, which had to a considerable extent inspired the New Left. He was also dismissive of the postmodernist ideas of
Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...
and
Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Γ‰lie Derrida;Peeters (2013), pp. 12–13. See also 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was a French Algerian philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in a number of his texts, ...
. His next book was ''Up from Communism,'' which described four prominent doctrinaire liberal thinkers who changed their ideology to embrace conservatism. In the best-selling ''Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History'', Diggins asserted that Reagan was treated dismissively, and that his virtues were truly liberal. That view had been contrary to Diggins's original view of Reagan as governor of California during the 1960s Berkeley protests, in which Reagan, as Diggins remembered, seemed to be "standing for tear gas and police." Diggins declared Reagan to be "one of the three or four truly great presidents in U.S. history." He stated that his view of Reagan changed upon reading Reagan's writings that were released after Reagan's death. Diggins concluded that Reagan was, in fact, "far from conservative" and more on the liberal side of the ideological spectrum. Instead of his previous left-wing assumptions about him, Diggins wrote, "Reagan was the great liberating spirit of modern American history, a political romantic impatient with the status quo." Diggins' last book was ''Why Niebuhr Now?,'' describing the shifting political loyalties of
Reinhold Niebuhr Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of Ameri ...
. The book was published posthumously in 2011. An obituary reported that Diggins "was "critical of the anti-capitalist Left for seeing in the abolition of property an end to oppression," but also "critical of the anti-government Right for seeing in the eradication of political authority the end of tyranny and the restoration of liberty."Mattson, Kevin
"Man in the Middle: John Patrick Diggins"
, '' Dissent Magazine'', February 12, 2009.
He stated, "I am left of right and right of left." Diggins was a consultant on various documentary films, including ''Between the Wars'', ''Reds'', ''John Dos Passos'', ''The Greenwich Village Rebellion'', ''Emma Goldman'', '' Arguing the World'', ''The Future of the American Left'', and ''Il Duce, Fascismo e American'' (Italian television). Diggins also appeared in numerous interviews with
C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...
. Diggins earned a
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
in 1975, became a resident scholar at the
Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...
in 1989, and was nominated for the National Book Award for History. He was a critically acclaimed member of the
American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world, claiming over 10,000 members. Founded in 1884, AHA works to protect academic free ...
, American Studies Association, and
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
. After his death, the John Patrick Diggins '53 Endowed Scholarship was created in his name at Sacred Heart Preparatory School in San Francisco.


Criticism

In a review of Diggins' ''Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History''
Rich Lowry Richard A. Lowry (; born August 22, 1968) is an American writer, and the former editor and now editor-in-chief of ''National Review'', an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative news and opinion magazine. Lowry became editor of ...
, editor of the ''
National Review ''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 William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
,'' wrote,
Diggins seems blinded by Reagan's sunniness, which, in this interpretation, was not just a matter of temperament, but reflective of a deep philosophical and religious conviction. Reagan, Diggins maintains, sought to rid "America of a God of judgment and punishment." This is absurd. Reagan had a charitable view of human nature and a relaxed, nonjudgmental air, but there is no denying his deeply felt
social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on Tradition#In political and religious discourse, traditional social structures over Cultural pluralism, social pluralism. Social conservatives ...
. He wrote – as a sitting president, no less – the anti-abortion tract "Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation".


Personal life

Diggins' marriage to his wife, Judith, ended in divorce. As a California native, he lived in
Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic c ...
, for years while he taught at UC Irvine. Later, Diggins lived on the
Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...
in Manhattan while teaching at CUNY Graduate Center. He died in Manhattan on January 28, 2009, after a battle with
Colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...
. He was survived by his companion of fifteen years, the author Elizabeth Harlan; a son and a daughter; two sisters; and two grandchildren.


Bibliography

* (2011) ''Why Niebuhr Now?'' () * (2007) ''Eugene O'Neill's America: Desire Under Democracy'' () * (2007) ''Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History'' * (2004) ''The Portable John Adams'' (editor) * (2003) ''John Adams: The American Presidents Series'' * (2000) ''On Hallowed Ground: Abraham Lincoln and the Foundations of American History'' * (1997) ''The Liberal Persuasion: Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and the Challenge of the American Past'' (co-editor) * (1996) ''Max Weber: Politics and the Spirit of Tragedy'' * (1994) ''The Promise of Pragmatism: Modernism and the Crisis of Knowledge and Authority'' () * (1988) ''The Proud Decades: America in War and Peace, 1941–1960'' * (1984) ''The Lost Soul of American Politics: Virtue, Self-Interest, and the Foundations of Liberalism'' () * (1981) ''The Problem of Authority in America'' (co-editor) * (1978) ''The Bard of Savagery: Thorstein Veblen and Modern Social Theory'' * (1975) ''Up From Communism: Conservative Odysseys in American Intellectual History'' * (1973) ''The American Left in the Twentieth Century'' (reworked into ''The Rise and Fall of the American Left'', 1992) * (1972) ''Mussolini and Fascism: The View from America'' Journal articles * Dos Passos and Veblen's Villains, ''Antioch Review'' 23, no. 4 (1963–1964): 485–500. * Flirtation with Fascism: American Pragmatic Liberals and Mussolini's Italy, ''American Historical Review'' 71, no. 2 (1966): 487–506. * The American Writer, Fascism, and the Liberation of Italy, ''American Quarterly'' 18, no. 4 (1966): 599–614. * Mussolini and America: Hero-Worship, Charisma, and the "Vulgar Talent," ''Historian'' 28, no. 4 (1966): 559–85. * American Catholics and Italian Fascism, ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 2, no. 4 (1967): 51–68. * The Italo-American Antifascist Opposition, ''Journal of American History'' 54, no. 3 (1967) * Ideology and Pragmatism: Philosophy or Passion?, ''American Political Science Review'' 64, no. 3 (1970): 899–906. * Consciousness and Ideology in American History: The Burden of Daniel J. Boorstin, ''American Historical Review'' 76, no. 1 (1971): 99–118. * The Perils of Naturalism: Some Reflections on Daniel J. Boorstin's Approach to American History, ''American Quarterly'' 23, no. 2 (1971): 153–80. * Thoreau, Marx, and the "Riddle" of Alienation, ''Social Research'' 39, no. 4 (1972) * Getting Hegel out of History: Max Eastman's Quarrel with Marxism, ''American Historical Review'' 79, no. 1 (1974): 38–71. * Visions of Chaos and Visions of Order: Dos Passos as Historian, ''American Literature'' 46, no. 3 (1974): 329–46. * Four Theories in Search of a Reality: James Burnham, Soviet Communism, and the Cold War, ''American Political Science Review'' 70, no. 2 (1976): 492–508. * Slavery, Race, and Equality: Jefferson and the Pathos of the Enlightenment, ''American Quarterly'' 28, no. 2 (1976): 206–28. * Animism and the Origins of Alienation: The Anthropological Perspective of Thorstein Veblen, ''History and Theory'' 16, no. 2 (1977): 113–36. * Reification and the Cultural Hegemony of Capitalism: The Perspectives of Marx and Veblen, ''Social Research'' 44, no. 2 (1977). * Barbarism and Capitalism: The Strange Perspectives of Thorstein Veblem, ''Marxist Perspectives'' 1, no. 2 (1978): 138–57. * The Socialization of Authority and the Dilemmas of American Liberalism, ''Social Research'' 46 (1979): 454–86. * Power and Authority in American History: The Case of Charles A. Beard and his Critics, ''American Historical Review'' 86, no. 4 (1981): 701–30. * The Oyster and the Pearl: The Problem of Contextualism in Intellectual History, ''History and Theory'' 23, no. 2 (1984): 151–69. * Republicanism and Progressivism, ''American Quarterly'' 37, no. 4 (1985): 572–98. * "Who Bore the Failure of the Light": Henry Adams and the Crisis of Authority,'' New England Quarterly'' 58, no. 2 (1985): 165- 92. * Comrades and Citizens: New Mythologies in American Historiography, ''American Historical Review'' 90, no. 3 (1985): 614–38. * Between Bailyn and Beard: The Perspectives of Gordon S. Wood, ''William and Mary Quarterly'' vol. XLIV (1987): 563–68. * John Adams et les Critiques Francais de la Constitution Americaine ("John Adams and the French Critics of the Constitution"), ''La Revue Tocqueville'' 9 (1987–1988): 155–80. * The Misuses of Gramsci, ''The Journal of American History'' 75, no. 1 (1988): 141–45. * Knowledge and Sorrow: Louis Hartz's Quarrel with American History, ''Political Theory'' 16, no. 3 (1988): 355–76. * Class, Classical, and Consensus Views of the Constitution,'' University of Chicago Law Review'' 55, no. 2 (1988): 555–70. * From Pragmatism to Natural Law: Walter Lippmann's Quest for the Foundation of Legitimacy, ''Political Theory'' 19, no. 4 (1991): 519–38. * Thorstein Veblen and the Literature of the Theory Class, ''International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society'' 6, no. 4 (1993): 481–90. * America's Two Visitors: Tocqueville and Weber, ''La Revue Tocqueville'' 17, no. 2 (1996): 165–182. * Arthur O. Lovejoy and the Challenge of Intellectual History, ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 67, no. 1 (2006): 181–208.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diggins, John Patrick 1935 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Deaths from colorectal cancer in New York (state) People from Manhattan Writers from San Francisco University of California, Berkeley alumni San Francisco State University alumni University of Southern California alumni San Francisco State University faculty University of California, Irvine faculty Academic staff of the University of Paris CUNY Graduate Center faculty Historians from New York (state) Historians from California 20th-century American male writers Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory alumni