Thread by @sophie_e_hill

I am so pleased to join the @AEI in honoring the distinguished career of political theorist and @Harvard professor Harvey C. Mansfield!

Check out this website, which celebrates Mansfield's most important intellectual contributions: mansfieldat90.com #Mansfieldat90

https://twitter.com/sophie_e_hill/status/1544377782414737409

Mansfield's in-depth ethnographic work has given him an unmatched insight into the inner lives of Women. #Mansfieldat90

While feminist scholars pointed to spousal inequalities in domestic work, Mansfield's meticulous research allowed him to uncover previously unacknowledged contributions of men to the running of a household.

#Mansfieldat90

Mansfield displays not only a heroic intellect but a graceful humility, for example, when he says it is "probably" true that being capable of rape qualifies a man for greatness.

#Mansfieldat90

But Mansfield's work is not merely of theoretical importance, it also provides a valuable guide for women seeking to reduce their risk of sexual assault.

Drop the jiu-jitsu lessons, ladies, and cover those ankles! #Mansfieldat90

Mansfield's commitment to meticulous research knows no bounds.

To this day he TiVo's every women's gymnastics competition to ensure his thesis is still correct. #Mansfieldat90

While the IRB had some reservations about Mansfield's study of Dickens-themed pornography, he would not let university bureaucrats deter him from such an important area of research. #Mansfieldat90

Is Mansfield a contrarian? Yes, but a valuable one.

While academics and pundits alike celebrated the rise of female serial killers, only Mansfield had the perspicacity to question whether this was, indeed, something to celebrate. #Mansfieldat90

But Mansfield's ground-breaking work is not limited to the field of gender studies. He also made important contributions to theories of race and racism. #Mansfieldat90

How many living scholars can be credited with such an array of bold hypotheses, from "feminism-causes-rape" to "psychedelic-fatherless-black-ghettos"?

#Mansfieldat90

The age of the Wild West is over, fellow lesbians...

As Mansfield reasons sagaciously, now that the thrill is gone we shall have to obtain a husband and move to the suburbs. #Mansfieldat90

There is surely no better demonstration of Mansfield's intellectual integrity than his continued commitment to cage fight any Female who challenges his famous "almost any man can beat up almost any woman" thesis. #Mansfieldat90

Causing more rape is not even the most serious charge that Mansfield lays at the feet of the feminist movement. Worse still, the feminists have - *shudder* - legitimised spinsterhood. #Mansfieldat90

Mansfield is at his sharpest when dealing with a subject close to his heart: university rules on sexual harassment.

For who else will explain to the Office of Civil Rights that you can't possibly allow women to say both "yes" AND "no" to sex?? #Mansfieldat90

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every woman not protected by poverty and extreme old age needs the courage to defend her virtue.

#Mansfieldat90

Just asking questions!! (for a friend)

#Mansfieldat90

One of Mansfield's most valuable contributions is to ask the questions that seem - oddly - not to even occur to others in the field.

For example: Would it really be desirable to abolish sexual misconduct?

#Mansfieldat90

The novelty and brilliance of Mansfield's work is evidenced by the fact that he has coined many terms that have entered the academic lexicon...

One example is his usage of the term "same-sexers" to refer to the homosexual population.

#Mansfieldat90

Another, perhaps more remarkable example, is the well-known LTLMS framework of feminine qualities, which rejects simplistic one-dimensional accounts of gender in favor of a five dimensional scale:

Loyalty
Tenderness
Loving
Mothering
Sexiness

#Mansfieldat90

Mansfield is that rare thing: a genuine public intellectual. He is equally at home writing an academic article, a newspaper Op-Ed, or even providing expert testimony in landmark legal cases.

#Mansfieldat90

Indeed, Mansfield's testimony in Evans v. Romer is a shining exemplar of how rigorous academic research and expertise can inform our thinking on real-world issues.

#Mansfieldat90

In addition to his major contributions to the study of gender and sexuality, Mansfield has made brief but equally brilliant contributions across other, diverse topics.

For example, on crime:

#Mansfieldat90

On civil liberties:

#Mansfieldat90

On climate change:

#Mansfieldat90

On rap "music":

#Mansfieldat90

On comedy:

#Mansfieldat90

A single twitter thread can hardly suffice to cover the wide-ranging and penetrating insights of Harvey C. Mansfield.

Fortunately, the Harvard Government department has wisely asked him to teach 3 separate classes in AY22/23 (during which he will turn 91).

Alas, for those of you unable to be taught by the man himself, I hope that this website will provide but a glimpse into one of the most extraordinary minds forged in the crucible of Harvard University (where he has been since 1949).

mansfieldat90.com