State University of New York Press, January 2009
Published simultaneously in paper and hardbound editions

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Scholars engage the ideas and legacy of Cary Nelson in conversations about the corporate university, teaching, poetry, and activism.

"Cary Nelson is an institution. That goes without saying. What this remarkable tribute to his life and work makes clear is that his combination of tenacious archival skills, brilliant intellectual interventions, fearless efforts on behalf of the profession's downtrodden, and savvy institutional maneuvers coalesce into a dynamic, generous, and provocative teacher. As a scholar, critic, organizer, and thorn-in-the-side of complacent academia, Cary teaches by doing. His students are everywhere, reshaping the discipline and institutions in crucial and exciting ways. Cary gives us all license to fly to the edges of thought and activism, knowing that the risks are worth it. His prophetic legacy in print and on the street has institutionalized seemingly disparate projects: An obsession with covers of obscure left-wing magazines legitimated visual cultural studies as a field for literary scholarship. A raucous challenge to stodgy committee procedures led to the AAUP presidency. Even those who disagree with him cannot ignore his presence on so many fronts--from websites to archives, from op-eds to picket lines, from the MLA to the graduate seminar. As one of the major figures within American letters working both sides of the street--scholarship and politics--Cary Nelson exemplifies the committed intellectual. This book recognizes him as a faculty model in just the way one wants: a readable, learned, and politically astute collection full of love and rage."

Paula Rabinowitz, author of They Must Be Represented: The Politics of Documentary

“Rarely do a scholar’s civic and intellectual pursuits blend as naturally and seamlessly as they have in Cary Nelson’s career. It would be difficult for a single volume to do justice to the breadth and interconnectedness of such a scholar’s contributions. Cary Nelson and the Struggle for the University does so impressively. The essays collected here attest admirably to his remarkable influence as poetry scholar, tireless and astute activist in the struggle for integrity in education, and engaged mentor.”

Adolph Reed Jr., author of Class Notes: Posing as Politics and Other Thoughts on the American Scene