Synopses & Reviews
andldquo;Soloveyandrsquo;s social scientists are neither naandiuml;ve researchers exploited by the military-industrial complex nor greedy masterminds eagerly anticipating their patronsandrsquo; needs. Instead, he presents us with a series of encounters between program managers, disciplinary spokesmen, and political partisans, each of which demonstrates its participantsandrsquo; unexpectedly complex positions. In what feels like a prelude to contemporary partisan investigations of the social sciences,
Shaky Foundations recounts numerous instances of McCarthy-era attacks on social scientists as leftist agitators.andrdquo; andmdash;
Scienceand#160;andldquo;
Shaky Foundations offers an important new argument about how the American social sciences interacted with wider social and political forces during the Cold War era. Solovey has done very important work in establishing the bitterly contested character of postwar epistemological and institutional shifts.andrdquo; andmdash;
Isisand#160;andldquo;This is an important book. The brilliance of this book lies in pinpointing the origins of the terms that are still used in contemporary debates on the role of social science in the United States. This book is a critical tool in approaching the most essential question andmdash;whatandrsquo;s next for American social science?andrdquo; andmdash;
LSE Review of Booksand#160;andldquo;Solovey leaves readers with a sharpened understanding of the travails of social science research during the first two decades of the Cold War.andrdquo; andmdash;
Journal of American Historyand#160;andldquo;Solovey makes a valuable contribution to the growing literature on the development of social sciences in the U.S. during the 20th century. A major achievement is the authorandrsquo;s presentation of this often complicated and complex story in a clearly written and well-documented manner. Highly recommended.andrdquo; andmdash;
Choiceand#160;andldquo;
Shaky Foundations impressively pulls back the curtain on American social scientists and their complex relationships with funding agencies, offering crucial insights into the pastandmdash;and the futureandmdash;of social science.andrdquo; andmdash;David C. Engerman, author of
Know Your Enemy: The Rise and Fall of Americaandrsquo;s Soviet Expertsand#160;andldquo;In this clearly written and thoroughly researched book, Mark Solovey takes a new approach to writing the history of the social sciences in America by andlsquo;following the moneyandrsquo; and examining how patrons and their agendas shaped the development of the field.andrdquo; andmdash;Nadine Weidman, author of
Constructing Scientific Psychology: Karl Lashleyandrsquo;s Mind-Brain Debatesand#160;and#160;
Review
andquot;Soloveyandrsquo;s social scientists are neither naandiuml;ve researchers exploited by the military-industrial complex nor greedy masterminds eagerly anticipating their patronsandrsquo; needs. Instead, he presents us with a series of encounters between program managers, disciplinary spokesmen, and political partisans, each of which demonstrates its participantsandrsquo; unexpectedly complex positions. In what feels like a prelude to contemporary partisan investigations of the social sciences,
Shaky Foundations recounts numerous instances of McCarthy-era attacks on social scientists as leftist agitators.andquot;
Review
andquot;
Shaky Foundations offers an important new argument about how the American social sciences interacted with wider social and political forces during the Cold War era. Solovey has done very important work in establishing the bitterly contested character of postwar epistemological and institutional shifts.andquot;
Review
andquot;Shaky Foundations impressively pulls back the curtain on American social scientists and their complex relationships with funding agencies, offering crucial insights into the pastandmdash;and the futureandmdash;of social science.andquot;
Review
andquot;This is an important book. The brilliance of this book lies in pinpointing the origins of the terms that are still used in contemporary debates on the role of social science in the United States. This book is a critical tool in approaching the most essential question andmdash;what next for American social science?andquot;
Review
andquot;Solovey makes a valuable contribution to the growing literature on the development of social sciences in the U.S. during the 20th century. A major achievement is the authorand#39;s presentation of this often complicated and complex story in a clearly written and well-documented manner. Highly recommended.andquot;
Review
andquot;
Shaky Foundations is a well-researched account of the rise of a new patronage system for the social sciences in the early Cold War-era United States. Solovey leaves readers with a sharpened understanding of the travails of social science research during the first two decades of the Cold War.andquot;
Review
andquot;In this clearly written and thoroughly researched book, Mark Solovey takes a new approach to writing the history of the social sciences in America by 'following the money' and examining how patrons and their agendas shaped the development of the field.andquot;
Review
andquot;Solovey's book [presents] a complex and heterogeneous picture of the interest and the political positions surrounding the great advancement of the social sciences during the Postwar era.andquot;
Review
andquot;A crucial resource for the growing community of historians interested in the history of the social sciences, as well as for historians of education and intellectual historians of the Cold War.andquot;
Synopsis
What happens when the allegedly value-free social sciences enter the national political arena? In The Social Sciences Go to Washington, scholars examine the effects of the massive influx of sociologists, demographers, economists, educators, and others to the federal advisory process in the postwar period. Essays look at how these social scientists sought to change existing policies in welfare, public health, urban policy, national defense, environmental policy, and science and technology policy, and the ways they tried to influence future policies.
Policymakers have been troubled that followers of postmodernism have questioned the legitimacy of scientific and political authority to speak for the desires of social groups. As the social sciences increasingly become expressions of individual preferences, the contributors ask, how can they continue to be used to set public policy for us all?
This collection is a useful resource for anyone studying the relationship between science and the government in the postwar years.
Synopsis
Shaky Foundations provides the first extensive examination of a new patronage system for the social sciences that emerged in the early Cold War years and took more definite shape during the 1950s and early 1960s. Focusing on the defense department, the Ford Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, Mark Solovey explores the struggles of these various funders to define what counted as legitimate social science and how their policies and programs helped to shape the goals, subject matter, methodologies, and social implications of academic social research in the nuclear age.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
About the Author
MARK SOLOVEY is an assistant professor at the University of Torontoandrsquo;s Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. He is the coeditor of Cold War Social Science: Knowledge Production, Liberal Democracy, and Human Nature.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Social Science on the Endless (and End-less?) Frontier
2. Defense and Offense in the Military Science Establishment
3. Vision, Analysis, or Subversion?
4. Cultivating Hard-Core Social Research at the NSF
Conclusion
Notes
Index