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, f ...

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". Professor ...

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, German ...

and

Comparative literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...

. He serves as the Walter A. Haas Professor in the Humanities at Stanford University. 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 Economic liberty, personal and economic liberty, Free ...

. 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 capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, 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 high ...

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 '' ...

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is ...

in 1979. Since 1979, Berman has been on the faculty at Stanford University. 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), du ...

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 (MLA). Together with his protégé David Tse-Chien Pan, he served on the U.S. State Department's

Commission on Unalienable Rights The Commission on Unalienable Rights was a commission created under the U.S. State Department in July 2019. It released its final report in August 2020. History Background In July 2018, the State Department hosted its first annual Ministeria ...

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 Mary Ann Glendon (born October 7, 1938) is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and a former United States Ambassador to the Holy See. She teaches and writes on bioethics, comparative constitutional law, property, and human r ...

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, cultural studies, and political science who study Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The organization began in 1976 as the West ...

, 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