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“I
have been waiting a long time for someone to write this book, and Jeff Schmidt has done it. He exposes, in crystal-clear prose, the inevitably political nature of the professional in our society, and, most importantly, suggests a strategy for resistance. This is an extraordinary and valuable piece of writing.” -- Howard Zinn, Author of A People’s
History of the United States “A
radical, disturbing, and provocative look at professional life. It offers a profound analysis of the personal struggles for identity and meaning in the lives of today’s 21 million professionals. The book will shake up readers.” -- Andi O’Conor Ohio University “A
witty, incisive, original analysis of the politics of professionalism -- especially with respect to those
fields in which professional training
involves an education in how to become
oblivious to the political role of one’s profession.” -- Michael Berube, University of Illinois “A
blistering critique of how knowledge workers have been subordinated in America. Finally, a book that tells it like it is.” -- Stanley Aronowitz, Author of The Jobless
Future “This
book should be read by anyone thinking about embarking on a professional education in any field, as well as by those who wonder why
their dream job doesn’t seem so dreamy after all.” -- Politics and Prose bookstore, Washington, D.C. “Schmidt
analyzes the true meaning of being a professional and the sacrifices that professionals make to achieve
their career goals. He challenges them to think outside the box -- to use their intuition and their attitude to
provide for a better society.” -- Carrie Crystal Van Driel, Public Citizen “A
freewheeling, thought-provoking examination of the way ideological control is exercised over an increasingly important section of the working class -- the professionals.” -- Nature, Society, and Thought “I found Disciplined Minds while
planning a course that deals with the social role and moral responsibility of intellectuals, and after I finished reading it I whooped with joy. It is the perfect book to engage students on these issues -- well researched, powerfully argued, and clearly written. Even conservative students with politics at odds with Schmidt's find the book valuable because of its (sometimes painful) honesty and clarity. In addition to using it in my course, I wish I could make Disciplined Minds required reading for my faculty colleagues.” -- Robert Jensen School of Journalism University of Texas at Austin “Schmidt
has hit the bull’s-eye.” -- The Texas Observer “Your
employment is terminated -- now!” -- Physics Today ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Author interviews... The Biological Physicist (pdf file) (American Physical Society, Division of Biological Physics) Canadian Undergraduate Physics Journal (pdf)January 2006 issue Carta (published in Italian) Italian State Radio (2 min 11 sec RealAudio) ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Reviews... Education Review andThe Adjunct Advocate Z MagazineandSex and Guts magazine Washington City Paper Radical Teacher Processed World (see pages 93-94 in pdf file) Workplace (issue 6.2) Workplace (issue 4.2) Business and Society Review Nature, Society, and Thought Frontline (India) International Socialist Review Self-University Newsletter Physics and Society(American Physical Society,Forum on Physics and Society) Review of Radical Political Economics Texas Observer Higher Education Review (England) Social Anarchism The Antigonish Review (Canada) Interchange: A quarterly review of education Teaching Sociology (American Sociological Association), v. 31, no. 2 Public Citizen News recommended reading Politics and Prose pick list IEEE Spectrum annual “Editor’s Picks” list Chronicle of Higher Education article Nine more reviews are posted at Amazon.com ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Get the book! Click Here or on the button below to go to the book’s listing at Amazon.com. The paperback version is in stock. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Instructors... Use Disciplined Minds in your courses and provoke your students to question some of their most basic assumptions! Disciplined Minds works well in courses in sociology, education, business, labor studies, STS (science, technology and society)and many other subjects. |
Welcome to the Who are you going to be? That is the question. In this riveting book about the world of professional work, Jeff Schmidt demonstrates that the workplace is a battleground for the very identity of the individual, as is graduate school, where professionals are trained. He shows that professional work is inherently political, and that professionals are hired to subordinate their own vision and maintain strict “ideological discipline.” The hidden root of much career dissatisfaction, argues Schmidt, is the professional’s lack of control over the political component of his or her creative work. Many professionals set out to make a contribution to society and add meaning to their lives. Yet our system of professional education and employment abusively inculcates an acceptance of politically subordinate roles in which professionals typically do not make a significant difference, undermining the creative potential of individuals, organizations and even democracy. Schmidt details the battle one must fight to be an independent thinker and to pursue one’s own social vision in today’s corporate society. He shows how an honest reassessment of what it really means to be a professional employee can be remarkably liberating. After reading this brutally frank book, no one who works for a living will ever think the same way about his or her job. ____________________ April 2007: Victory in Disciplined Minds case____________________ Physics
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