Attending to American Conservatism

Calls for attention to subject are unusual for the visibility and variety of scholars who make them

By Karen J. Winkler

Anaheim, California -- One of the best-attended sessions at the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians here this month addressed a topic not usually highlighted when scholars meet: American conservatism.

Several speakers called on historians to end their long neglect of the subject. But doing so, they warned, would challenge deeply held assumptions about American history.

While studies of conservative intellectual and political movements have appeared more