Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
Revisionist educators and activists have spent decades trying to bury the history of Western Civilization, and their efforts are increasingly succeeding. Now even the most elite American universities are abandoning the subject altogether. Harvard University, once a center for the study of Western history, has effectively eliminated Western Civilization courses in favor of a “global history” narrative that often downplays the West’s role and instead credits outside influences—such as barbarian invaders along the Silk Road—with shaping the modern world.
Western Civilization, commonly known as Western Civ, traces the development of civilization from ancient Greece and Rome through the modern era. It encompasses the story of human progress in culture, politics, invention, and ideas. Yet this foundational subject has been disappearing from American universities for decades.
The latest example came with the departure of Harvard professor James Hankins, a Renaissance scholar who spent 40 years teaching Western history at the university. Writing in Compact magazine, Hankins explained that during his career he witnessed the systematic replacement of Western history with global history. He warned that the shift has contributed to what he described as moral and intellectual disorientation among younger generations.
This shift away from Western history has been underway for years. A 2011 article by the National Association of Scholars noted that Western Civ courses had largely disappeared as university requirements by 2010 and remained available in some form at fewer than one-third of institutions. In many cases, they were replaced by “world history” and multicultural studies.
Phyllis Schlafly warned about this trend decades ago. She argued that multiculturalism in schools was divisive and would ultimately undermine a shared understanding of American history and culture.
And yet, Western Civilization is not dead. Institutions such as the University of Florida’s Hamilton School, Hillsdale College, and several classical and Christian colleges continue teaching Western history and civics. Organizations like the National Association of Scholars and the National Endowment for the Humanities are also supporting efforts to preserve the study of Western Civilization.
Unless genuine literacy and thinking are restored in K-12 education, the effort to revive Western Civ in higher education may face an uphill battle.
It’s no secret that globalists are bent on destroying Western culture. America must be protected from cultural Marxism and those who would deny America’s Western heritage. We’re seeking your insight at PhyllisSchlafly.com. That’s PhyllisSchlafly.com. Join us tomorrow for the Phyllis Schlafly Report.
