Stuart Ewen
Encyclopedia
Stuart Ewen is a New York-based author, historian
and lecturer on media
, consumer culture
and the compliance profession
. He is also a Distinguished Professor
at Hunter College
and the City University of New York Graduate Center, in the departments of History
, Sociology
and Media Studies
. He is married to Elizabeth Ewen, who is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of American Studies
at the State University of New York at Old Westbury
.
As a young man, in 1964 and early '65, Ewen was a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the civil rights organization. After working as a volunteer in the Freedom House in Columbus, Mississippi, he became part of the SNCC staff, earning the standard pay of $9.66 per week. After working in Columbus, he and Isaac Coleman, who was the project director, opened up a new field office in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 1966, Ewen was one of the founding editors of an early underground newspaper, Connections, in Madison, Wisconsin, where he was a student. Stuart Ewen,"Memoirs of a Commodity Fetishist, in Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture, 25th Anniversary Edition. New York: Basic Books
, 2001.
In 1989, his book All Consuming Images provided the basis for Bill Moyers' four-part award-winning series, "The Public Mind." In 2004, another of his books, PR! A Social History of Spin, was the foundation of a four-part BBC series, "Century of the Self," produced by Adam Curtis. Ewen has become an outstanding spokesman against violations of academic freedom in the period since 9/11 and is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Frederic Ewen Academic Freedom Center
at NYU, which is named after his great uncle, a professor at Brooklyn College who was forced to resign after refusing to testify before HUAC.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and lecturer on media
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
, consumer culture
Consumer behaviour
Consumer behaviour is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a product. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups...
and the compliance profession
Compliance professional
A compliance professional is an expert that utilizes and perfects means of gaining influence. Though the means of gaining influence are common, their aims vary from political, economic, to personal...
. He is also a Distinguished Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
and the City University of New York Graduate Center, in the departments of History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and Media Studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
. He is married to Elizabeth Ewen, who is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of American Studies
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
at the State University of New York at Old Westbury
State University of New York at Old Westbury
The State University of New York College at Old Westbury is a university college that is part of the State University of New York system. The college is in Old Westbury, New York, with portions in the neighboring town of Jericho, New York...
.
As a young man, in 1964 and early '65, Ewen was a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the civil rights organization. After working as a volunteer in the Freedom House in Columbus, Mississippi, he became part of the SNCC staff, earning the standard pay of $9.66 per week. After working in Columbus, he and Isaac Coleman, who was the project director, opened up a new field office in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 1966, Ewen was one of the founding editors of an early underground newspaper, Connections, in Madison, Wisconsin, where he was a student. Stuart Ewen,"Memoirs of a Commodity Fetishist, in Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture, 25th Anniversary Edition. New York: Basic Books
Basic Books
Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1952 and located in New York. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history.-History:...
, 2001.
In 1989, his book All Consuming Images provided the basis for Bill Moyers' four-part award-winning series, "The Public Mind." In 2004, another of his books, PR! A Social History of Spin, was the foundation of a four-part BBC series, "Century of the Self," produced by Adam Curtis. Ewen has become an outstanding spokesman against violations of academic freedom in the period since 9/11 and is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Frederic Ewen Academic Freedom Center
Frederic Ewen Academic Freedom Center
The Frederic Ewen Academic Freedom Center at New York University's Tamiment Library is named after Frederic Ewen, an author, teacher, and an outspoken advocate for civil liberties and intellectual freedom...
at NYU, which is named after his great uncle, a professor at Brooklyn College who was forced to resign after refusing to testify before HUAC.
External links
- 'PR, Social Control and Revolt: An interview with Stuart Ewen' State of Nature, March 2009
- "Public Relations: Corporate Spin and Propaganda" An interview with Stuart Ewen by David BarsamianDavid BarsamianDavid Barsamian is an Armenian-American radio broadcaster, writer, and the founder and director of Alternative Radio, the Boulder, Colorado-based syndicated weekly talk program heard on some 125 radio stations in various countries....
, Z Magazine, May 2000. - "The Stay Free Interview" Part I Stuart Ewen talks with Stay Free magazine about his history of hype, the public relations industry, saving the planet, etc.
- "Stereotype and Society" Informative, sometimes humorous website expanding on issues raised in Ewen and Ewen's Typecasting, On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality.