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Wolin (Sheldon S.) Papers Creator: Wolin, Sheldon S http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8cv4q7w No online items Finding Aid to the Sheldon S. Wolin papers BANC MSS 2013/152 Marjorie Bryer The Bancroft Library 2018 The Bancroft Library University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 [email protected] URL: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/bancroft-library Finding Aid to the Sheldon S. BANC MSS 2013/152 1 Wolin papers BANC MSS 2013/152 Language of Material: English Contributing Institution: The Bancroft Library Title: Wolin (Sheldon S.) papers Creator: Wolin, Sheldon S. Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 2013/152 Physical Description: 27.65 Linear Feet(21 cartons, 4 boxes) Date (inclusive): 1941-2010 Abstract: The Sheldon Wolin papers document his work as a political theorist, writer, and teacher. The collection includes academic and editorial correspondence; administrative materials from the Universities of California at Berkeley and Santa Cruz, Princeton, and Cornell; drafts of, and notes and research for, Wolin’s articles, talks, class lectures, and book projects; and a small amount of personalia. A good portion of the collection contains materials related to an unpublished manuscript that Wolin worked on for over 40 years, “Dialogues with Power.” Language of Material: Collection materials are in English. Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog. Conditions Governing Access Cartons 1-21 and Boxes 1-2 are open for research. Boxes 3-4 include restricted student work and personnel information and are closed to researchers until 2062. Accruals No future additions are expected. Immediate Source of Acquisition The Sheldon S. Wolin papers were given to The Bancroft Library in 2013 by Sheldon S. Wolin. Alternate Forms Available There are no alternative forms of this collection. Biography Political theorist and public intellectual Sheldon Wolin was born in Chicago in 1922 and grew up in Buffalo, New York. Wolin earned his BA at Oberlin College in 1946, and his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1950. He interrupted his college career to enlist in the Army Air Forces, where he was a navigator and bombardier in the Pacific. Wolin was a professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley from 1954-1970 and taught for a few years at the University of California, Santa Cruz before joining the Department of Politics at Princeton, where he taught from 1972 until his retirement in 1987. Wolin’s 1960 book, “Politics and Vision” was credited with reviving political theory and transforming the study of politics. The American Political Association honored it with the Benjamin E. Lippincott Award in 1985, recognizing it as a book of lasting political impact. Wolin wrote a number of influential studies on the limits and possibilities of popular democracy and the intersection of democracy, power, and the state, and he founded the short-lived journal, “democracy,” which explored the potential of populist movements. He wrote for popular as well as academic audiences, and his work frequently appeared in journals like “The New York Review of Books.” Wolin and his colleagues, Michael Rogin and Hanna Pitkin, made Berkeley a leading center for the study of political theory, and headquarters for what came to be called the “Berkeley school.” He had a reputation as a great and kind teacher, and mentored many students at Princeton who became influential political theorists in their own right, including Wendy Brown and Cornell West. Wolin considered his work activism, writing that political theory was primarily a civic duty and only secondarily an academic activity. Personally, he was politically active. Wolin was one of the earliest faculty supporters of the Free Speech Movement on the Berkeley campus, an anti-Apartheid activist and, in his retirement, a dedicated supporter of conservation efforts to protect redwood forests in the Pacific Northwest. Wolin died at the age of 93 in 2015. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Sheldon S. Wolin papers, BANC MSS 2013/152,The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. System of Arrangement Arranged to the folder level. Processing Information Processed by Marjorie Bryer in 2018. Finding Aid to the Sheldon S. BANC MSS 2013/152 2 Wolin papers BANC MSS 2013/152 Related Collections The New left [videorecording] : language and politics / sponsored by the Bancroft Library (Motion Picture 876 D no. 4) Article on the anti-war movement on the University of California, [typescript], 1970 (UC Archives Folio f 308h.R3ll.S841) John D. Lewis papers (Oberlin College, OCA 30/229) Letter to Lewis Mumford, in Lewis Mumford papers (University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Coll. 2) Scope and Content of Collection The Sheldon Wolin papers document his work as a political theorist, writer, and teacher. The collection includes academic and editorial correspondence; administrative materials from the Universities of California at Berkeley and Santa Cruz, Princeton, and Cornell; drafts of, and notes and research for, Wolin’s articles, talks, class lectures, and book projects; and a very small amount of personalia. A good portion of the collection contains materials related to an unpublished manuscript that Wolin worked on for over 40 years, “Dialogues with Power.” The collection is divided into seven series: Correspondence; Administrative Materials; Writings; “Dialogues with Power”; Research Notebooks and Subject Files; Course Materials; and Personalia. Wolin's papers were stored in a shed and subject to the elements. Preservation measures were taken to clean up the collection and attempts were made to remove dirt and detritus. Wolin’s groupings of materials and original folder titles and notes were retained throughout. Separated Materials Digital materials transferred to the Digital Collections Unit of The Bancroft Library Publication Rights Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html. Subjects and Indexing Terms Wolin, Sheldon S. -- Archives Faculty papers University of California, Berkeley -- Faculty. University of California, Berkeley. -- Department of Political Science Princeton University. Department of Politics -- Faculty, Political science -- Study and teaching Political science -- Research. Political science -- Philosophy -- History. Power (Social sciences) -- United States Democracy -- United States Political scientists -- United States Tocqueville, Alexis de, 1805-1859. Series 1. Correspondence 1952-2009 Physical Description: Carton 1; Carton 2, folders 1-62. Arrangement Arranged into two subseries by Wolin: 1.1 Academic Correspondence and 1.2 Editorial Correspondence. Scope and Content Note Consists of incoming and outgoing academic and editorial correspondence. Some of Wolin's colleagues discuss personal matters but this is predominantly professional correspondence. Finding Aid to the Sheldon S. BANC MSS 2013/152 3 Wolin papers BANC MSS 2013/152 Series 1.Correspondence 1952-2009 Subseries 1.1Academic Correspondence 1952-2009 Subseries 1.1 Academic Correspondence 1952-2009 Physical Description: Carton 1 Scope and Content Note Incoming correspondence from students and colleagues, letters of recommendation, and a few other outgoing letters. There is some overlap with the editorial correspondence. Carton 1, Folder 1 Academic Freedom Controversy, Oberlin College 1952, 1986 Carton 1, American Political Science Association, including Lippincott Award Citation circa Folder 2-3 1974, 1985 Carton 1, American Political Science Review, includes Hugh L. Elsbree/Responses to Strauss Folder 4-7 Article; Responses to “Political Theory as a Vocation” and Correspondence re: R. Dahl 1954-1970 Carton 1, Folder 8 Anschuetz, Bob re: "Democracy Incorporated" 2008 Carton 1, Folder 9 Arendt, Hannah (one letter) 1963 Carton 1, Baker, Judge Joseph 1989 Folder 10 Carton 1, Berlin, Isiah (one letter) 1963 Folder 11 Carton 1, Bliss, Malcolm – Hate Mail 2005 Folder 12 Carton 1, Brown, Norman O. 1973-1982 Folder 13 Carton 1, Brown, Wendy 1993, undated Folder 14 Carton 1, Butterfield, Victor 1959-1961 Folder 15 Carton 1, Chiba, Shin, includes Translations 1985-2010 Folder 16-18 Carton 1, Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Program Folder 19-21 Committee 1985-1988 Carton 1, Cleaveland, Brad 1991 Folder 22 Carton 1, "Constellations" Advisory Board 1994 Folder 23 Carton 1, Emeritus Materials (UCLA) 1988 Folder 24 Carton 1, Esquith, Stephen 1990 Folder 25 Carton 1, Euben, Peter 1989-1992 Folder 26 Carton 1, Fellowship Applications and Awards – Philips Industries, Guggenheim, ACLS Folder 27-28 (American Council of Learned Societies) 1963-1974
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