Promotional Information

Although a number of important works have appeared in the last few years on modernization theory and American foreign policy in the 1960s, Mandarins of the Future will be definitive, perhaps for decades to come. Gilman provides not only the fullest history of modernization theory, and its linkages to actual government policy formation, but he explores in depth a fascinating slice of American intellectual history in the 1960s and early 1970s. His analysis of foundation and academic politics and their interface with government agencies is detailed, original and compelling. -- Michael Adas, Rutgers University The American engagement with 'modernization' is one of the most important episodes in the intellectual, political, and diplomatic history of the Cold War epoch, filled with cautionary tales for our own time. Gilman's sophisticated, clearly-argued, archive-based interpretation is a commanding contribution to our understanding of the terms on which the United States interacts with the rest of the world. -- David A. Hollinger, University of California, Berkeley

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
1. Modernization Theory and American Modernism
2. From the European Past to the American Present
3. The Harvard Department of Social Relations and the Intellectual Origins of Modernization Theory
4. The Rise of Modernization Theory in Political Science: The SSRC's Committee on Comparative Politics
5. Modernization Theory as a Foreign Policy Doctrine: The MIT Center for International Studies
6. The Collapse of Modernization Theory
7. The Postmodern Turn and the Aftermath of Modernization Theory
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index

About the Author

Nils Gilman is an independent scholar and practitioner at the Global Business Network in San Francisco.

Reviews

The detailed analysis and broad-ranging explorations in Mandarins of the Future will interest scholars and graduate students in a variety of areas. -- Johanna Bockman Journal of Cold War Studies Intellectual fashions come and go, and this well-researched book artfully analyzes the rise and fall of one of the more powerful paradigms in post-World War II American political science-so-called modernization theory. -- William B. Quandt Ethics and International Affairs Mandarins of the Future both helps us understand a past paradigm in its historical context and offers insights for those seeking to comprehend the social world of today. -- Daniel Geary Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences Gilman's analysis is original, well-researched, probing, and provocative. -- Walter Hixson American Historical Review The author carefully surveys and explains modernization theory and how it shaped the U.S. post-WWII foreign policy to contain Communism during the Cold War. Choice Development specialists and scholars of the academy... will welcome Gilman's attention to the nuances of academic debate. -- Deborah Kisatsky Journal of Interdisciplinary History