David Riesman’s Unpublished Writings and Continuing LegacyDavid Riesman’s Unpublished Writings and Continuing Legacy, edited by KerrKeithHardenB. GarrickAldredgeMarcus. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2015. 293 pp. $120.00 cloth. ISBN: 9781472428486.

What is it about?

This interesting collection of texts shows that David Riesman's legacy deserves more attention. The first part of the book consists of miscellaneous papers hitherto preserved in the Harvard University Archives. Riesman's two talks from the mid-'60s contain critical afterthoughts regarding The Lonely Crowd and other works on American character. His MIT lecture from 1952 about consumerism casts light on his interpretation of Veblen. Equally interesting is the confidential memo coauthored with Erich Fromm in August 1961, which evokes the tension of the Cold War era and gives much food for thought long after the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Two pieces are linked to Riesman's studies of Freud's impact on American education and social character. Another piece (probably written together with Philip Rieff), on Freud's politics of war and its psychological functions, shows how deeply Riesman, a pacifist activist, was interested in the problems of war and peace. The second part of the book introduces the reader to the social fabric of intellectual networks and poses open-ended questions about the intercontextuality of scientific work. Two texts give the floor to Riesman himself at different stages of his life. They are interesting addenda to Riesman's autobiographical writings. Snapshots of his interactions with significant others also illustrate the social and cultural history of the United States before, during and after World War II. Despite the editors' assurances that the book does not focus on The Lonely Crowd, this topic inevitably comes up. Wilkinson's report comprehensively illuminates this unique work. The risky search for an autobiographical key to interpreting the personality types presented in The Lonely Crowd creates an intriguing context, revealing the subjective side of science. The last three chapters contain interpretations of selected topics from Riesman's legacy that are consonant with contemporary critical studies on minorities, higher education and alienation. Presenting Riesman as an independent forerunner of cultural social psychology may incite disputes, but may also promote his renewed inclusion in debates on contemporary social characters in changing configurations of culture, structure and agency.

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