Kleinberg

The first time Ethan Kleinberg, the Class of 1958 Distinguished Professor of History and Letters, immersed himself in the world of the French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas 20 years ago, he wrote a book. “It was written as a traditional intellectual history and I found that what that I had done was to completely deactivate the aspects of Levinas’ thought where he believes that there are ethical guidelines that come to us from outside our own history, these transcendent ethical guidelines puncture any historical or contextual moment,” Kleinberg said. He didn’t like what he’d written, so he took an unprecedented step—he…

Professor of History and Letters Ethan Kleinberg is the recipient of the Reinhart Koselleck Visiting Professorship at the University of Bielefeld in Germany, a high honor accorded to world-renowned historians whose work is “of outstanding significance” for theoretical reflection and further development. Kleinberg will spend the summer term of 2019 at Bielefeld with the intention of beginning work on a project titled “Temporal Anarchy in History.” Candidates for the professorship do not apply for the honor; the Centre for Theories in Historical Research at Bielefeld selects recipients based on the example set by Reinhart Koselleck, one of the most renowned…

On March 27, Professor Ethan Kleinberg, director of the Center for the Humanities, presented a lecture to the École Doctorale on "The Specters of the Past," as a distinguished visiting professor at University of Bordeaux Montaigne in Pessac, France. Kleinberg also is professor of history, professor of letters, and editor-in-chief of History and Theory. He is an expert on the intellectual history of Europe in the 20th century, the history of philosophy, as well as the philosophy and theory of history. Kleinberg's lecture focused on the theme of his latest book, Haunting History: for a deconstructive approach to the past…

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Ethan Kleinberg, director of the Center for the Humanities, is the author of Haunting History: For a Deconstructive Approach to the Past, published by Stanford University Press in August 2017. "Haunting History is about the ways we think about the past and 'do' history at a moment when the digital revolution is changing how we conduct research, store materials, and even write," Kleinberg said. "In it I argue that many of strategies for writing about, but also understanding the past, are conditioned by the analog practices of the previous century which has served to create the illusion that the past…

An essay by Ethan Kleinberg, professor of history, professor of letters, is the featured reading material for the H-France network's fall 2015 webinar on “Modern Intellectual History." H-France’s mission is to promote scholarly work and discussion on the history and culture of the Francophone world through digital form. Kleinberg also is director of the Center for the Humanities and executive editor of History and Theory. The H-France webinar will take place at 3 p.m. Sept. 18. Designed particularly for graduate students, H-France webinars are open to anyone. Participants are expected to read Kleinberg's essay prior to the seminar and consider related questions. (more…)

Four faculty from the History Department participated in the American Historical Association Meeting in New York City Jan. 2-5. The topic was "History and Other Disciplines." Professor of History Ethan Kleinberg presented “Just the Facts: The Fantasy of a Historical Science." Kleinberg also is the director of the Center for the Humanities, professor of letters and executive editor of History and Theory. Assistant Professor of History Victoria Smolkin-Rothrock spoke on “From a Society Free of Religion to Freedom of Conscience: How Toleration Emerged from within Totalitarianism." She also is assistant professor of Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian studies and tutor in the College of…

On Dec. 4, Ethan Kleinberg, director of the Center for the Humanities, professor of history, professor of letters, presented the keynote address at a conference on "Does Literature Matter," at the University of North Bengal in India. His talk was titled "Matters of Fact and Matters of Fiction: Literature and the Historian." He also led a workshop on "presence" at the conference. Kleinberg also will be presenting lectures and workshops in Delhi including a talk at University of Delhi on Dec. 10, a workshop at the Center for the Study of Developing Societies on Dec. 11, and a lecture on "History and…

Ethan Kleinberg, director of the Center for the Humanities, is the co-editor of Presence: Philosophy, History, and Cultural Theory for the Twenty-First Century, published by Cornell University Press in November 2013. Kleinberg also is professor of history, professor of letters and executive editor of History and Theory. In this book, Kleinberg and co-editor Ranjan Ghosh bring together an interdisciplinary group of contributors to explore the possibilities and limitations of presence from a variety of perspectives—history, sociology, literature, cultural theory, media studies, photography, memory and political theory. The book features critical engagements with the presence paradigm within intellectual history, literary criticism, and…

An article by Ethan Kleinberg, director of the Center for the Humanities, professor of history, professor of letters, is featured in the 50th anniversary issue of Perspectives on History, the monthly publication of the American Historical Association. The article, titled "Academic Journals in the Digital Era" is part of a forum on "The Future of the Discipline" edited by Lynn Hunt. View the full list of contributors online.

Ethan Kleinberg, director of the Center for the Humanities, professor of letters, professor of history, discusses the core mission of the Center and his vision for its future in this video: [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_C6e9cR-m8[/youtube]

In China, rapid economic growth and social transformation have stimulated interest there in how societies have dealt with dramatic change. Some of China’s foremost scholars reached out to colleagues at Wesleyan, seeking to discuss the meaning of “tradition” in historical and philosophical perspectives. “Wesleyan publishes History and Theory, the leading journal on the philosophy and theory of history in the Western world,” says Brian Fay, professor of philosophy, and the journal’s executive editor. “This subject area is intellectually and politically very important in China, and hence the journal was well known to them.” It was in part because of History…

Kleinberg Authors New Book on Levinas’ Cultural Legacy

Kleinberg to Study Anarchy in History as Visiting Professor in Germany

Kleinberg Lectures in France, Elected to Historiography Commission

Kleinberg Speaks about Haunting History at Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore

Kleinberg’s Book Argues for a Deconstructive Approach to the Practice, Writing of History

Kleinberg’s Essay the Featured Reading Material for Modern Intellectual History Webinar

History Faculty Participate in American Historical Association Meeting

Kleinberg Delivers Keynote Address, Leads Workshops at Literature Conference in India

Kleinberg Edits Book on 21st Century Philosophy, Cultural Theory

Kleinberg’s Article in American Historical Association Publication

Video Feature on the Center for the Humanities Future

Wesleyan and China: the Beijing Conference