Description

'This book is a prodigious achievement, the best study yet written on the remarkable academic hybridity that arose between German-speaking thinkers and the American university, especially during the first half of the twentieth century. Christian Fleck's investigation is at once a history of philanthropic foundations, a sociology of academic homelessness and institutional adaptation, and a morality tale of cooperation and rivalry told against the backdrop of economic depression, ideological fanaticism and war.'

Peter Baehr, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

'By reference to the sustained and profound impact of little-known transatlantic flows of wealth and scholars, Christian Fleck charts the fascinating story of the invention of empirical social research in the twentieth century. Based upon a comprehensive command of wide-ranging data sets, this study establishes the standard for all subsequent investigation of this important theme.'

Stephen Kalberg, Boston University

The 20th century saw a dramatic shift of the hub of science and social science systems to the USA. This dynamic began to unfold at precisely the same time as the power structure of Central Europe shifted towards dictatorship. This book explores the invention of empirical social research and the contribution of German emigres to its establishment. The major names are here, from Adorno and Horkheimer to Hirshman and Lazarsfeld, but at the heart of the book is a unique collective biography based on original data from more than 800 German-speaking social scientists.