what should we expect from social criticism? revisiting the work of christopher lasch.
The Point has now put online the full text of my article, “Looking Back: Christopher Lasch and the Role of the Social Critic,” from Issue 7 (Fall 2013). Perhaps it’s a fruitful read in light of the recent controversies over Nicholas Kristof’s column lambasting academics for disengagement from public life, “Professors, We Need You!” The article led to a series of exchanges on the United States Intellectual History Blog with the esteemed Christopher Shannon. You can find the posts, and Ray Haberski’s excellent summary of them, here.