Join us for an engaging conversation with Kevin Schultz, author of the provocative new book Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals). In it, Schultz—Chair of the History Department at the University of Illinois—explores the many criticisms aimed at liberals over the past century: that they are ineffective, spineless, judgmental, or elitist. Framing these objections within a rich historical context, he traces how the meaning of "liberal" and "liberalism" has evolved—and how the terms have come to be lightning rods in American political culture. With sharp insight into postwar U.S. history and a lively, accessible voice, Schultz unpacks how liberalism became both a powerful ideal and a caricature under attack. Hope to see you at this special event, moderated by Village member Idelle Davidson.
There will be a light dinner.
About Kevin Schultz:
An award-winning historian and professor, Kevin M. Schultz, Ph.D, has special interests in American intellectual and cultural life, writing for both academic and popular audiences. Born in Los Angeles, Schultz lived in Nashville, Salt Lake City, the Bay Area, and Charlottesville, before settling in Chicago, where he now teaches at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), serving as the Chair of the Department of History.
Schultz's current book, "Why Everyone Hates White Liberals (Including White Liberals): A History," tells the fascinating story of the history of modern liberalism, focusing on how its enemies have denigrated and attacked the liberal image. His previous book, "Buckley and Mailer: The Difficult Friendship that Shaped the 1960s" (W.W. Norton & Co.), was an Amazon #1 New Release in History. His first book, "Tri-Faith America: How Postwar Catholics and Jews Held America to Its Protestant Promise" (Oxford University Press) charted the decline of the idea that the United States was a "Christian nation" and the subsequent rise of of a modern liberalism premised on "Judeo-Christianity."
Past president of the Society for U.S. Intellectual History, Schultz has won numerous teaching awards and is also the author of "HIST" (Cengage Learning), a popular college-level textbook, now in its sixth edition. He has appeared on numerous occasions on NPR, C-SPAN, MSNBC, and PBS, and been featured in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Salon, and The Huffington Post.