Jeffrey Goldfarb: Sociologist, Friend, Teacher
A special issue honouring our founding editor on his retirement
This week, we have the honour of presenting a cluster of essay by, and about, Jeff Goldfarb, the founding editor of Public Seminar. Jeff retired from his tenured post in the sociology department at The New School for Social Research on July 1, 2021. He won’t be gone: the next chapter of his life will include the Democracy Seminar, based at NSSR, and you will continue to see him in these virtual pages. We won’t be surprised if there is another book in his future—or more.
But at the beginning of this next chapter, we take a moment to recognize Jeff’s long and distinguished career, and give you, our readers, a glimpse of it too. Editing these essays has been a wonderful reminder of Jeff’s diligence in promoting our collective understanding of how democracy does—and does not—sustain itself, his vitality, his curiosity, his generosity as a teacher and a colleague, and the devotion he brings to his friendships.
Thank you, Jeff: we look forward to everything that will come next.
Image credit: Daniel Fermín
July 8, 2021
Featured essay
Jeffrey Goldfarb, “My Arrest in Poland: The authorities hadn’t expected an American to be at this obscure performance.” (July 7, 2021)
Special Issue In Honor of Founding Editor Jeff Goldfarb
Jeffrey Isaac, “A Scholar for Our Times: Friendship and the substance of hope.” (July 7, 2021)
Elzbieta Matynia and Claire Potter, “A Connection That Never Expired: In 1974, Jeffrey Goldfarb went to Poland to do research about democracy—and put down lasting roots.” (July 7, 2021)
Zeyno Ustun, “What Jeff Goldfarb Understood: As digital media made new forms of resistance and knowledge-making possible, Public Seminar challenged scholars to engage the public.” (July 7, 2021)
Irit Dekel, “Learning to Think About Memory and Politics: Jeff Goldfarb navigated--and worked through--the polar opposites that can define academic and political life.” (July 7, 2021)
Our columnists:
Pat Garafolo, “Car Alarm in Oklahoma: Driving through an absurd incentive cover-up.” (July 7, 2021)
Heather Cox Richardson, “How Trump’s Big Lie Fuels Voter Suppression and Republican Authoritarianism: In American history, the attempt to overturn our election procedures for one man, based on a conspiracy theory, is unprecedented.” (July 7, 2021)
John Stoehr, “The Very Serious Debate Club: On Josh Barro and his ilk.” (July 7, 2021)