Black Mountain: An Exploration in Community

Synopsis

To the extent that Black Mountain is known today it is as the site of a now defunct experimental community located in the foothills of North Carolina--a forerunner and exemplar of much that is now considered innovative in art, education and life style. It is known, too, as the refuge, in some cases the nurturing ground, for many of the singular, shaping talents of our time: John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Buckminster Fuller, Charles Olson, Josef Albers, Paul Goodman, Robert Rauschenberg--men whose work has significantly affected the actuality as well as the mythology of American cultural life. Yet the full story of Black Mountain during its twenty-three-year existence (1933-1956) is more intricate and poignant than a recitation of the famous names associated with it. Its daily history is the story of a small group of men and women who founded a college based on an idea of community among individuals working and learning together; who attempted to find some consonance in their ideas and their lives; who risked the intimacy and exposure that most of us emotionally yearn for and rhetorically defend, but in practice shun. At its best, Black Mountain showed the possibilities of a disparate group of individuals committing themselves to a common enterprise, resilient enough to absorb the conflict and now and then even brave enough to be transformed by its accompanying energies. The echoes of Black Mountain's unique experiment are to be found in the current debate in our universities as to the measure of commitment and response between school and student; in the communes and alternative societies seeking integration between life and work. Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Black Mountain is Martin Duberman's effort to challenge the ideal of "objectivity" that has long been the hallmark of academic historical writing. By removing the protection of anonymity, that is by letting the reader see the actual process by which he interacts with the data--his feelings, fantasies and needs--Mr. Duberman has brilliantly converted "history" to life. Martin Duberman is Distinguished Service Professor of History at Lehman College, City University of New York. He was born in New York City and received his B.A. from Yale and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard. He has received numerous awards and has written biographies, history, plays and novels.

Copyright:

1972

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

560 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780525068068

Publisher:

Penguin Publishing Group

Date of Addition:

08/18/21

Copyrighted By:

Martin Duberman

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Education

Submitted By:

Terry Gorman

Proofread By:

Terry Gorman

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.