Anne Norton
Encyclopedia
Anne Norton is an American
professor of political science
and comparative literature
. She currently holds a chair in political science at the University of Pennsylvania
.
.
. She has held academic positions at Brown University
, the University of Notre Dame
, Princeton University
, and the University of Texas at Austin
.
and one on the concept of political identity itself, drawing on work in the areas of anthropology
and semiotics
(Norton 1986, 1993, 1988). She has also written a wide-ranging critique of the current practice of the social sciences
, particularly political science (Norton, 2004). In 95 Theses, Norton challenges the unreflective ways in which political scientists understand causation
and time
while ignoring issues of meaning and significance (Larry George, Political Theory vol. 3, no. 3, 2006). Her challenges to mainstream political science have earned her a leadership role in the Internet
-based movement to reform political science that has named itself "Perestroika" (Kristen Monroe
, Perestroika: The Raucous Rebellion in Political Science, Yale University Press, 2005).
While a student at the University of Chicago, Norton became acquainted with many of the followers of the philosopher Leo Strauss
. In the 1990s, the rise of neoconservatism into public consciousness prompted her to write a semi-anecdotal book about the Straussians, titled Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire (Yale University Press, 2004). While some have praised the book as a thoughtful account of the intellectual origins of George W. Bush
's foreign policy
(including Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
in the New York Review of Books, 23 September 2004), it has also received harsh criticism for its author being uninformed about her subject and for spreading mere gossip (see Stanley Hoffman, Foreign Affairs
, Nov/Dec 2004, and Charles Butterworth
, Review, MIT Electronic Journal of Middle East Studies, 2005). Emphasizing the flaws in Norton’s attempts to define Straussianism and identify Straussians, Peter Minowitz argues that her book is “disgracefully unscholarly.”
She is a founding co-editor of the journal Theory and Event.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
. She currently holds a chair in political science at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.
Early life
As a child, Norton lived and traveled throughout the world with her family because her father was an officer in the U.S. NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Academic career
Norton received her B.A. in 1977 and her Ph.D in 1982, both from the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. She has held academic positions at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
Writings and views
Norton's central intellectual interest has been the meaning and consequences of political identity. She has explored this theme in two books on American politicsPolitics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
and one on the concept of political identity itself, drawing on work in the areas of anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and semiotics
Semiotics
Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes , indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication...
(Norton 1986, 1993, 1988). She has also written a wide-ranging critique of the current practice of the social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, particularly political science (Norton, 2004). In 95 Theses, Norton challenges the unreflective ways in which political scientists understand causation
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
and time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
while ignoring issues of meaning and significance (Larry George, Political Theory vol. 3, no. 3, 2006). Her challenges to mainstream political science have earned her a leadership role in the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-based movement to reform political science that has named itself "Perestroika" (Kristen Monroe
Kristen Monroe
Kristen Monroe is an American political scientist, specializing in political psychology and the scientific study of ethics. Her award winning work on altruism is widely recognized as a classic analysis of human altruism and its political significance. She was also a significant figure in the...
, Perestroika: The Raucous Rebellion in Political Science, Yale University Press, 2005).
While a student at the University of Chicago, Norton became acquainted with many of the followers of the philosopher Leo Strauss
Leo Strauss
Leo Strauss was a political philosopher and classicist who specialized in classical political philosophy. He was born in Germany to Jewish parents and later emigrated to the United States...
. In the 1990s, the rise of neoconservatism into public consciousness prompted her to write a semi-anecdotal book about the Straussians, titled Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire (Yale University Press, 2004). While some have praised the book as a thoughtful account of the intellectual origins of George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
(including Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Jr. was an American historian and social critic whose work explored the American liberalism of political leaders including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Schlesinger served as special assistant and "court historian"...
in the New York Review of Books, 23 September 2004), it has also received harsh criticism for its author being uninformed about her subject and for spreading mere gossip (see Stanley Hoffman, Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, Nov/Dec 2004, and Charles Butterworth
Charles Butterworth
Charles Butterworth, Ph.D. is a noted philosopher of the Straussian school and currently a professor of political philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park....
, Review, MIT Electronic Journal of Middle East Studies, 2005). Emphasizing the flaws in Norton’s attempts to define Straussianism and identify Straussians, Peter Minowitz argues that her book is “disgracefully unscholarly.”
She is a founding co-editor of the journal Theory and Event.
External links
- Radio Interview with Anne Norton by Scott Horton
- Anne Norton and the “Straussian” Cabal: How Not to Write a Book - review of Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire by James Costopoulos in the journal Interpretation
- The Ass and the Lion: Anne Norton, Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire - review of Leo Strauss and the Politics of American Empire by David Lewis Schaefer in the journal Interpretation