In a Sept. 25, 2005 column, New York Times Op-Ed columnist David Brooks described American colleges as "one of the great inequality producing machines this country has known."
Tonight, Brooks will visit Brown's campus to address class in American society as part of the 26th annual Providence Journal/Brown University Public Affairs Conference, themed "One Nation Indivisible? The Persistence of Class in American Culture." The lecture will be held in Salomon 101 at 6:30 p.m.
A graduate of the University of Chicago, Brooks began his journalism career at the City News Bureau wire service in Chicago. He spent nine years at the Wall Street Journal as a Europe correspondent, movie critic and, ultimately, op-ed editor, before joining the Weekly Standard. He began writing "The Way We Live Now," his column for the Times, in September of 2003.
"David Brooks is one of the most perceptive observers of our culture," said vice president of public affairs and University relations Michael Chapman.
Brooks' book, "Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There," chronicles the lifestyle and development of a bourgeois-bohemian class ("bobos"). His next book, "On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense," examines common threads in American life.
"In many respects, class in our society and the question of whether we are still a mobile society is part of the broader culture wars that we see played out in our politics, the media, on our college campuses and in how our citizens interact with one another," Chapman said.
"We think this topic is an especially timely one given the social, economic and political changes that are taking place in our society," Chapman said.
Brooks will also take part in the conference panel discussion - "Where Are We Headed? Why and How Does Class Still Matter in America?" - led by Professor of Economics Glenn Loury on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Salomon 101.
Loury, whose research has focused on welfare economics, race and affirmative action, will be joined by Brooks, Jared Bernstein, director of the Living Standards program at the Economic Policy Institute, and Louisiana State Rep. Karen Carter, who represents part of New Orleans and has been involved in rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina.
Brooks' keynote Michael P. Metcalf-Howard R. Swearer Memorial Lecture honors the late chairman and publisher of the Journal and Brown's 15th president, respectively, who together founded the conference to celebrate the Journal's 150th anniversary. Both events are free and open to the public.
