Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China

Kirby, William C.

ISBN 10: 0674299329 / ISBN 13: 9780674299320

Published by Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press, 2025

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 26403534263

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China
• Publisher: Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674299329
• ISBN 13: 9780674299320
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

A Marginal Revolution Best Non-fiction Book

 “[A] fascinating book.” –Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Ed

“Substantive on virtually every page, the author actually understands how universities work…An impressive performance.” ―Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution  

“With his extraordinary breadth of curiosity and equal ease in the histories and cultures of these countries, only Bill Kirby could have written this book. It is must-reading for everyone who cares about universities, a thought-provoking lesson in the strange mix of durability and vulnerability that defines this key modern institution.” ―Richard Broadhead, President Emeritus, Duke University

“William Kirby’s new book is unique. I know of nothing else on higher education that resembles it in breadth, scope, and sheer comparative information and analysis. Anyone interested in the nature of universities during the past two centuries will want to read this volume.” ―Neil L. Rudenstine, President Emeritus, Harvard University

Today American institutions dominate nearly every major ranking of global universities. Yet in historical terms, America’s preeminence is relatively new, and there is no reason to assume that US schools will continue to lead the world a century from now. Indeed, America’s supremacy in higher education is under great stress, particularly at its public universities, while Chinese universities are on the ascent. Will China threaten American primacy? 

Empires of Ideas looks to the past two hundred years for answers, examining the successes of leading universities to determine how they rose to prominence and what threats they currently face. William C. Kirby gives special attention to the challenges that Chinese academic leaders must confront: reinvesting in undergraduate teaching, developing new models of funding, and navigating a political system that may undermine a true commitment to free inquiry and academic excellence.

About the Author

William C. Kirby is Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration and T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University, as well as Chair of the Harvard China Fund and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Center Shanghai. His many books include Can China Lead? Reaching the Limits of Power and Growth.