This course treats topics in Central and East European intellectual history during the short twentieth century. Our investigation of the relations between scholarly expertise and state authority will be interspersed with topics from the (history of) sociology of knowledge. Rather than focus on "canonical" literary and political intellectuals, we will concentrate on the effects of specialization and "disciplinization" on intellectual life in the new political settings of the post-Trianon era. A broader historical frame for the rise of "sciences" of policymaking after World War II will also occupy our attention.
- Instructor: Karl Hall