Josiah Ober
Encyclopedia
Josiah Ober is an American historian and classical
political theorist. He is currently the Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Professorship in honor of Constantine Mitsotakis
Chair of Classics and Political Science at Stanford University
. His teaching and research links ancient Greek history and philosophy with modern political theory and practice.
Ober was educated at the University of Minnesota
(B.A., Major in History, 1975) and the University of Michigan
(Ph.D., Department of History, 1980).
He was a Professor of Ancient History at Montana State University
(1980–1990), and then at Princeton University
(1990–2006).
He has received fellowships from numerous institutions, including the American Council of Learned Societies (1989–90) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (1997). He delivered the 2002-2003 Sigmund H. Danziger Jr Memorial Lecture at the University of Chicago The Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the Humanities
.
Ober was a student of the distinguished American ancient historian Chester Starr
, and has been the teacher of many scholars, such as the classicist John Ma and the political theorist Ryan Balot.
His early work has been criticized by scholars such as M.H. Hansen for over-emphasizing the ideological aspect of Athenian democracy against its institutional dimension, and his more recent writing has been accused by P.J. Rhodes of abandoning scholarly impartiality in favour of democratic advocacy.
On the whole, however, Ober's work has been well received. For example, Paul Cartledge has called Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens 'a seminal work', and Jennifer Roberts has called Political Dissent in Democratic Athens 'a major contribution to a dialogue of enormous import'.
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
political theorist. He is currently the Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Professorship in honor of Constantine Mitsotakis
Constantine Mitsotakis
Constantine Mitsotakis , a Greek politician, was born in Chania, Crete. He came from a political family: his father and grandfathers were members of parliament, and the great liberal leader Eleftherios Venizelos was his uncle...
Chair of Classics and Political Science at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. His teaching and research links ancient Greek history and philosophy with modern political theory and practice.
Ober was educated at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
(B.A., Major in History, 1975) and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(Ph.D., Department of History, 1980).
He was a Professor of Ancient History at Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
(1980–1990), and then at 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....
(1990–2006).
He has received fellowships from numerous institutions, including the American Council of Learned Societies (1989–90) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (1997). He delivered the 2002-2003 Sigmund H. Danziger Jr Memorial Lecture at the University of Chicago The Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the Humanities
The Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the Humanities
The Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the Humanities is an annual honorary bestowed upon an “established scholar of classical literature, who has made substantial contributions to the critical analysis of classical literature, or has been exceptionally skilled at inspiring an...
.
Ober was a student of the distinguished American ancient historian Chester Starr
Chester Starr
Chester G. Starr was an American historian, as well as an authority on Ancient History, and the ancient art and archeology of the Greco-Roman civilization....
, and has been the teacher of many scholars, such as the classicist John Ma and the political theorist Ryan Balot.
His early work has been criticized by scholars such as M.H. Hansen for over-emphasizing the ideological aspect of Athenian democracy against its institutional dimension, and his more recent writing has been accused by P.J. Rhodes of abandoning scholarly impartiality in favour of democratic advocacy.
On the whole, however, Ober's work has been well received. For example, Paul Cartledge has called Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens 'a seminal work', and Jennifer Roberts has called Political Dissent in Democratic Athens 'a major contribution to a dialogue of enormous import'.
Authored
- Fortress Attica: Defense of the Athenian Land Frontier, 404-322 B.C., Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1985.
- Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens: Rhetoric, Ideology, and the Power of the People, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989.
- The Athenian Revolution: Essays on Ancient Greek Democracy and Political Theory, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.
- Political Dissent in Democratic Athens: Intellectual Critics of Popular Rule, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998.
- Athenian Legacies: Essays on the Politics of Going on Together, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005.
- Democracy and Knowledge: Innovation and Learning in Classical Athens, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.
Co-Authored
- with Manville, B., A Company of Citizens: What the World's First Democracy Teaches Leaders about Creating Great Organizations, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2003.
Edited
- with Eadie, J., The Craft of the Ancient Historian: Essays in Honor of Chester G. Starr, University Press of America: Lanham, 1985.
- with Euben, P., and Wallach, J., Athenian Political Thought and the Reconstruction of American Democracy, Cornell University Press: Ithaca, 1994.
- with Hedrick, C., Demokratia: A Conversation on Democracies, Ancient and Modern, Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1996.