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Mindless: What Happened to Universities?

03/04/2025
60 min
[video_views]

In a groundbreaking essay for the Jewish Quarterly, Cary Nelson argues that, in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks, universities have been gripped by a toxic and dangerous fervour—a betrayal of the ideals they are meant to uphold. As Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Illinois and former president of the American Association of University Professors, he charts how this crisis has been decades in the making. Author of Hate Speech and Academic Freedom, Nelson joins us online to examine what he sees as profound institutional failures on campuses worldwide and the forces driving them.

An event from Jewish Book Week 2025

About the speakers

Abraham Socher

Abraham Socher is the editor of the Jewish Review of Books, which he founded in 2010, and professor emeritus of Jewish Studies and Religion at Oberlin College.
Cary Nelson

Cary Nelson is an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he taught modern poetry. He served for 23 years in the national leadership of the American Association of University Professors, including six years as president. He is the author and editor of 36 books.

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Mindless: What Happened to Universities?

03/04/2025
|
60 min

Speaker

Abraham Socher

Read More

Abraham Socher is the editor of the Jewish Review of Books, which he founded in 2010, and professor emeritus of Jewish Studies and Religion...

Cary Nelson

Read More

Cary Nelson is an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he taught modern poetry. He served for 23 years in the...