Cold War Modernists: Art, Literature, and American Cultural Diplomacy

Greg Barnhisel, Associate Professor of English, Duquesne University

 Thursday, February 5, 2015 at 6:00 PM

Butler Library, Room 523

During the 1950s, after President Eisenhower created the United States Information Agency, the translation and dissemination of American books abroad—by public and private bodies, overtly and covertly—became a key component of American cultural diplomacy. In western and central Europe, books spread American ideas of freedom and individualism and refuted Communist arguments that the U.S. was uncultured. In the nonaligned world, American books forcefully confronted Soviet and Chinese cultural outreach and bolstered anti-Communist political movements. But even in this, U.S. cultural diplomats encountered domestic opposition from conservative forces who questioned their Americanism. In this talk, Greg Barnhisel will outline the various programs to distribute and promote American books abroad in the 1950s, describe the concepts of loyalty and Americanism that influenced which books were approved, and look at William Faulkner as a particularly emblematic but also problematic figure in the 1950s book program.

Followed by a Q&A with Matt Hart, Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Department of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

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Greg Barnhisel is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of English at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA and co-editor of the journal Book History. His publications include James Laughlin, New Directions, and the Remaking of Ezra Pound (2005), Pressing the Fight: Print, Propaganda, and the Cold War (2010), and Cold War Modernists: Art, Literature, and American Cultural Diplomacy (2015).

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The Book History Colloquium at Columbia University, open to any discipline, aims to provide a broad outlet for the scholarly discussion of book history, print culture, the book arts, and bibliographical research, and (ideally) the promotion of research and publication in these fields. Our presenters include Columbia faculty members and advanced graduate students, and scholars of national prominence from a range of institutions.

Questions? Email Karla Nielsen.

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All sessions take place 6pm in 523 Butler Library, Columbia Morningside Campus, unless otherwise noted.