Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Somerville, John, 1905-1994
- Abstract:
- Correspondence, writings, and notes, relating to Marxist philosophy, philosophy and education in the Soviet Union, peace and nuclear disarmament movements, and the loyalty-security program in the United States.
- Extent:
- 15 manuscript boxes (6.3 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], John Somerville papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection includes materials related to Marxist philosophy, philosophy and education in the Soviet Union, peace and nuclear disarmament movements, and the loyalty-security program in the United States, in the form of correspondence, writings, and notes. The collection encompasses the years 1930-1995, with the bulk of the materials covering 1960-1989.
The bulk of the material relates generally to John Somerville's academic career, which encompassed the study of Marxism, Soviet philosophy, and education, as well as his political activism against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, nuclear war, and nuclear "omnicide", a term coined by Somerville to describe the extinction of the human species as a result of human action. Most of these materials relate to his work as co-founder and president of the Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism (SPSM), the International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide (IPPNO), and his support of and membership in related organizations such as the American Philosophical Association (APA) and The Union of American and Japanese Professionals Against Nuclear Omnicide (UAJPANO).
The original order of the materials was retained within each folder in the collection, as received by the Hoover Archives. The folders in the collection were organized into five series: Biographical File, Diaries, Correspondence, Speeches and Writings and Subject File. Researchers should be aware that the materials under a particular subject heading do not necessarily represent the entirety of that subject and more materials may be available in another series. Even though most of the materials in the collection are found in the correspondence series, because a substantial amount of printed matter other than correspondence is interfiled within the correspondence folders, a reasonable effort has been made to identify important materials within these folders that are not categorized as correspondence. Researchers looking for a specific writing, assuming it isn't in the speeches and writings series, should strongly consider browsing through the correspondence folders.
- Biographical / historical:
-
American philosopher; president, Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism; president, International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide.
Date Event 1905 March 13 Born, New York City, New York1935-1937 Somerville and his wife, Rose Maurer Somerville, work in the U.S.S.R. studying Soviet philosophy1938 Receives Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University1939-1967 At Hunter College (the City University of New York) Somerville advances from Instructor to Professor Emeritus1946 Author, Soviet Philosophy: A Study of Theory and Practice1949 Author, The Philosophy of Peace1950s Testifies in three trials as an expert witness on the doctrines of Marxism-Leninism1956 Author, The Communist Trials and the American Tradition1962-1987 Founding editor and Editor in Chief of the translation quarterly, Soviet Studies in Philosophy (now Russian Studies in Philosophy)1962 Co-founder of the Society for the Philosophical Study of Dialectical Materialism (later, the Society for the Philosophical Study of Marxism)1963 August Helps organize first bi-national conference of American and Soviet philosophers at the XIIIth World Congress of Philosophy in Mexico City1963 December 27 Organizes first full dialogue on U.S. soil between American and Soviet philosophers at the American Philosophical Association (APA) conference, in Washington D.C.1967 Author, The Philosophy of Marxism1967-1972 Taught at the United States International University1975 Author, The Peace Revolution: Ethos and Social Process1976 Author, The Crisis: The True Story of How the World Almost Ended (play)1978 Co-founder of The Union of American and Japanese Professionals Against Nuclear Omnicide1980 Initiates California Campaign for No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons1981 Awarded the degree Doctor of Humane Letters from Denison University; Author, Soviet Marxism and Nuclear War and The Last Inquest (play)1983 Co-founder and first president of the International Philosophers for the Prevention of Nuclear Omnicide (IPPNO) at the XVIIth World Congress of Philosophy in Montreal1984 Initiates National Campaign for a Policy of No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons1986 Organizes first conference of the IPPNO in St. Louis1987 Receives Gandhi Peace Award from the board of directors of Promoting Enduring Peace1987 Receives Bertrand Russell Peace Award1994 January 8 Died, El Cajon, California - Acquisition information:
- Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1995.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is organized into 5 series: Biographical File, Diaries, Correspondence, Speeches and Writings, Subject File
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], John Somerville papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563