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Akhil Reed Amar


Akhil Reed Amar is one of the outstanding scholars of our country's constitutional history. 

Here is his blog: Welcome (akhilamar.com)

His latest book is THE WORDS THAT MADE US (2021).

I'll just leave you today with a link to a review of that book. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/books/review/the-words-that-made-us-akhil-reed-amar.html



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  1. HemantJanuary 27, 2022 at 12:36 PM

    Akhil (Universal) and Amar (Immortal) are Sanskrit names for men, both of which are very common in India (and among people of Indian origin). But the 'Reed,' I guess, shows that his ancestral roots are not exclusively Indian. I used to enjoy listening to him, mostly on PBS, explaining the subtleties of constitutional issues. This was a decade back, when I was a resident of the US. During the 1995-2005 period there was an influx of IT professionals from India into the US, so much so that the perception of Indians in the US was that we were all a bunch of computer and engineering professionals. (Of course, this applied only to those Indians who were not slum dog 'millionaires.') Seeing high-profile people of Indian origin like Akhil Reed Amar, Neal Katyal, Atul Gawande, Indra Nooyi etc. used to make me happy -- we weren't all just high-tech coolies, some of us could think philosophically, and had the ability to discuss larger social, legal, political and economic issues as well!

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    1. ChristopherJanuary 27, 2022 at 3:48 PM

      With all respect, I have to say that the idea of India as a subcontinent full of techies was confirmed NOT merely by the influx of IT pros, but by many of the IT professionals who seem to have stayed over there and are at the other end of all the computer Help phone calls. ;-)

      There is also "Raj" on The Big Bang Theory.

      So yes, I can see how the academic stature of Prof. Amar in a non-STEM field could come as welcome news.

      Delete
  2. HemantJanuary 28, 2022 at 11:54 AM

    As an Indian, I am supposed to feel and express outrage at the 'racist stereotype' perpetuated by Raj (Big Bang Theory). Unfortunately, I really like the goofy, loveable Raj -- I even know a few people who have very Raj-like characteristics. As for stereotypes, Sheldon, Howard and Penny were all far more standardized group generalizations. When you mix all these stereotypes to create a really great show, your sins are forgiven! Nothing succeeds like success!

    Having said this about Raj, I can only hope that nobody reports me to Big Brother!

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  3. walfreddahnkeMarch 5, 2022 at 7:13 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

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