Howard Mumford Jones and the Dynamics of Liberal Humanism

Howard Mumford Jones and the Dynamics of Liberal Humanism

Howard Mumford Jones (1892-1980) was rhe essential American humanist. A master of European letters and languages, Jones was a professor at Harvard, where he combined his extensive knowledge of European and American history and culture with a lifelong commitment to the full recognition of American literature in the Academy. A strong believer in the idea that wide learning leads to deep knowledge, Jones established a reputation for high rigor in the classroom and for promoting interdisciplinary study. He insisted that literature must engage culture and that it cannot do so in isolation. Today's humanities programs throughout America are being challenged by ideological and theoretical camps that stand in opposition to the individualism, historical sensibility, and cultural mission that fired Jone's long involvement in teaching, scholarship, and educational reform. In Howard Mumford Jones, Peter Brier goes beyond both nostalgia and reform in order to account for where we are today. He charts the main outlines of Jones's intellectual and professional philosophy, discussing the consequences of scorning the legacy of humanism that has anchored recent generations of leadership in the humanities. The life and thought of Howard Mumford Jones provide an allegory for such inquiry. Arguing that multiculturalism is separating us from one another even as it seeks to validate each of us, Brier calls for a return to the humanism of Howard Mumford Jones. who was among the first to assert the importance of African American and women writers, Latin American culture, and Asian philosophy. He would have scoffed at the idea that multiculturalism should be an end in itself. Used Book in Good Condition