Michael E. Gellert Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research

Multi Media

Krzysztof Czyzewski and Czeslaw Miłosz Meeting in their Native Realm*

September 1, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb and Zeyno Ustun

On May 18, 2014, for his contributions to understanding history and for his creative confrontation with memory, Krzysztof Czyzewski was awarded the Dan David Prize along with the French historian Pierre Nora and the Israeli Holocaust scholar Saul Friedlander. Of these three, the two distinguished historians and the theater practitioner-publisher-memory ...

Krzysztof Czyzewski and Czeslaw Miłosz Meeting in their Native Realm*

Uncategorized

Reflections on Critical Responses to the Tragedy of Gaza

July 22, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

As the years progress, I am becoming convinced that most people can’t walk, chew gum, and think at the same time.* Why did people who were highly critical of American capitalism feel compelled to overlook the atrocities associated with Stalinism? Why did other people critical of Soviet power look favorably ...

Reflections on Critical Responses to the Tragedy of Gaza

Uncategorized

Capitalism Never Ends?

April 18, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

A discussion responding to the Capitalism Studies Manifesto and Zaretsky's "How Capitalism Will End" -- One of my frustrations as the editor of Public Seminar is knowing that there have been interesting responses to our posts, but people are reluctant to publish them on the site itself. We are trying to ...

Education

Between Ideals and Realities

An overview of the General Seminar on the legacies of the University in Exile

March 5, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Last Wednesday, on February 26th, there was a special meeting of The New School for Social Research’s General Seminar, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the University in Exile. Three faculty members and three graduate students were asked to address a foundational question: “What is the meaning of The University in ...

Uncategorized

Have Europeans Learned from the 20th Century for the 21st?

February 28, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

This is a lightly abridged version of the keynote address to the conference of the Europe for Citizens Forum in Brussels on January 28th, 2014. Goldfarb was asked to address the question of the title. Siobhan Kattago, Irit Dekel, and Anna Lisa Tota also contributed to the ...

Read More

Uncategorized

Amusing Ourselves to Death? Still?

February 18, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Media monstration, the politics of small things, and The Daily Show -- Daniel Dayan and I are teaching two courses at The New School this semester, Media and Micro-politics and Theories of Publics. Both courses combine his media theory of “monstration” with my work on “the politics of small things.” The ...
Read More

Theory & Practice

The Social Condition: Religion and Politics in Israel

February 12, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Once I commit myself to a new theoretical project, I start realizing how my reading can illuminate it. Sometimes this involves a concerted effort. Thus these days I am re-reading Georg Simmel with an intuition that he can be a key theoretical guide in understanding the social condition. ...
Read More

Theory & Practice

Simmel and the Social Condition

January 17, 2014 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Georg Simmel (1858 – 1918) had a very precise and original conception of the subject matter of sociology: the forms, but not the contents, of human interaction. Sociology as a distinct discipline of human inquiry, he maintained, is directly comparable to geometry. As geometry, by studying the forms ...
Read More

Uncategorized

PS Ambitions: Blog? Website? Electronic Newspaper or Magazine? Public Seminar

December 9, 2013 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Public Seminar will be a success when all our features are in active use, and there is a vibrant interactive response. Featured articles will be regularly published, followed by active debates and explorations. Contributors will publish blog posts as the events of the day or a film, a show or ...
Read More

Uncategorized

Jan Sawka: The Power of the Not So Powerless

December 6, 2013 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

The following lecture was prepared for delivery at the symposium "Jan Sawka: The Artist’s Role in Changing the World" presented by The Paul Robeson Galleries, Gallery Aferro and the Newark Arts Council, Saturday, November 16, 2013, in conjunction with the exhibition at the Gallery Aferro, "Reflections on Everyman: the work ...
Read More

Race

Thanksgiving, Kugel, and Cornbread Stuffing

A secular celebration in our diversity

November 27, 2013 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Thanksgiving is a special holiday, the great American secular celebration: a common ritual, eating of a turkey dinner, almost universally practiced, in all the nooks and crannies of the social landscape. Indians may not be very enthusiastic. The return on their historic hospitality was not very good. And those who ...
Read More

Uncategorized

Eli Zaretsky Interviewed on Jewish Thought and Psychoanalysis

November 25, 2013 • by Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

I came across this interview on Eli Zaretsky's Facebook page as I was working on Jeremy Safran's piece on psychoanalysis. Noting interesting connections, I post it here. JG Harvey Schwartz: Eli, It's a pleasure to have you be the inaugural speaker for our new lecture series and website, Jewish Thought and ...
Read More