The Enabling of McCarthyism by the University of Michigan

Explore the challenges faced by mathematician Steve Smale and faculty member Chandler Davis at the University of Michigan during the McCarthy era in this 25-minute conference talk. Examine how both individuals, who were Communist Party members, navigated institutional hostility where the administration and many faculty actively worked to sabotage the careers of anyone associated with the far left. Learn about the specific ways the university enabled McCarthyism and the obstacles these academics had to overcome during this politically charged period in American history. Discover the historical context of academic freedom and political persecution through the lens of these two mathematicians' experiences at a major American university during the 1950s.