Rhodes Scholars, Oxford, and the Creation of an American Elite

1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84545-721-1
Verlag: Berghahn Books

Buch, Englisch, 438 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 548 g

Each year thirty-two seniors at American universities are awarded Rhodes Scholarships, which entitle them to spend two or three years studying at the University of Oxford. The program, founded by the British colonialist and entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes and established in 1903, has become the world's most famous academic scholarship and has brought thousands of young Americans to study in England. Many of these later became national leaders in government, law, education, literature, and other fields. Among them were the politicians J. William Fulbright, Bill Bradley, and Bill Clinton; the public policy analysts Robert Reich and George Stephanopoulos; the writer Robert Penn Warren; the entertainer Kris Kristofferson; and the Supreme Court Justices Byron White and David Souter.

Based on extensive research in published and unpublished documents and on hundreds of interviews, this book traces the history of the program and the stories of many individuals. In addition it addresses a host of questions such as: how important was the Oxford experience for the individual scholars? To what extent has the program created an old-boy (-girl since 1976) network that propels its members to success? How many Rhodes Scholars have cracked under the strain and failed to live up to expectations? How have the Americans coped with life in Oxford and what have they thought of Britain in general? Beyond the history of the program and the individuals involved, this book also offers a valuable examination of the American-British cultural encounter.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schaeper, Thomas J.

Schaeper, Kathleen

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtswissenschaft Allgemein

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Abbreviations and Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter 1. Rhodes, South Africa, and Oxford

Chapter 2. Getting Started

Chapter 3. The Setting

Chapter 4. Yanks and Brits

Chapter 5. The Scholar-Athletes

Chapter 6. Programmatic Changes

Chapter 7. Interwar Years: Society and Study

Chapter 8. Interwar Years: Fighting the World's Fight

Chapter 9. Postwar Problems and Adjustments

Chapter 10. The Cold War and the Silent Generation

Chapter 11. Bill Clinton and Friends

Chapter 12. New Voices, New Faces I: Blacks and other Minorities

Chapter 13. New Voices, New Faces II: Women, Gays, and Lesbians

Chapter 14. Careers and Accomplishments

Chapter 15. The Oxford Factor

Chapter 16. The Rhodes Ahead

Appendix: US Rhodes Scholars, 1904-2004

Select Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Schaeper, Thomas J.
Thomas J. Schaeper is Professor of History at St. Bonaventure University, a member of the editorial board of French Historical Studies, and the author of four previous books on European and American history.

Schaeper, Kathleen
Kathleen Schaeper is a social studies teacher at Allegany-Limestone Central School. For several years they co-directed the St. Bonaventure summer program at Oxford University.

Thomas J. Schaeper is Professor of History at St. Bonaventure University, a member of the editorial board of French Historical Studies, and the author of four previous books on European and American history.