Those readers of USIH who carefully peruse the right column will have noticed that some new names have appeared among the bloggers. As one of these USIH newbies, I’ve been asked by the old-timers to introduce myself. So here goes.
I’m Ben Alpers. I teach at the University of Oklahoma, where I’m the Reach for Excellence Associate Professor in the Honors College. My work focuses on the 20th century and concerns issues of political culture, broadly understood. My first book, Dictators, Democracy, and American Public Culture: Envisioning the Totalitarian Enemy, 1920s-1950s (University of North Carolina Press, 2003) explored the role of the idea of dictatorship in mid-twentieth century U.S. political culture. I’m currently at work on a book about Leo Strauss, the Straussians and American academic and political life, tentatively titled Strauss Wars. I also have a major interest in film history. You’ll also find me commenting on a variety of blogs around the interwebs and guest-posting very occasionally over on The Edge of the American West.
Many thanks to Tim Lacy, Paul Murphy, Mike O’Connor, and the other members of the USIH Collective for giving me a place on the masthead. I’m not precisely sure what my role in the evolving intellectual ecosystem of USIH will be.
Bedenken will ich’s:
wer weiss, was ich tu’!
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How erudite! I admit I had to look up that German at the end. (To save other readers any embarrassment, my hard-hitting research–on the Web–indicates that it’s from Wagner.)
In any case, welcome aboard! I look forward to reading your posts.
Mike
Welcome aboard! It’s great to have another contributor. – TL
Ben,
I’m glad to have you with us.
David
Echoing my colleagues, welcome! If your blogging matches your commentary at our recent conference, we’re very lucky to have you. Andrew
Yes, indeed, welcome aboard. We have been glad in the past to have your thoughtful commentary and are pleased to have you as an “official” member of the USIH blog.