John Carlos Rowe

John Carlos Rowe is an American academic, historian, and author. He is a professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine as well as the USC Associates' Professor of the Humanities and Professor of English, American Studies and Ethnicity, and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California.

Rowe is most known for his contributions in the field of new American studies, with a focus on Henry James, the intersection of nineteenth-century American literature and postmodern theory, and the critique of U.S. imperialism. Among his authored works are his publications in academic journals, including PMLA and Cultural Critique as well as books such as At Emerson's Tomb: The Politics of Classic American Literature and Literary Culture and U.S. Imperialism.

Education Rowe received his Bachelor of Arts in 1967 from the Johns Hopkins University. Later in 1972, he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. His 2011 book Afterlives of Modernism: Liberalism, Transnationalism, and Political Critique explores the relationship between early 20th-century modernist writers and liberalism, advocating for a nuanced perspective that acknowledges liberalism's successes while critiquing neoliberal trends and emphasizing the transnational engagement and socially engaged intent of these writers in addressing the concerns of marginalized groups.

Focusing on American Studies, his book The New American Studies (2002) called for the reinvention of the field, advocating for a more theoretically informed, post-nationalist approach that draws on insights from cultural critics and various scholarly disciplines. His 2012 publication The Cultural Politics of the New American Studies examined how neoliberal ideology has employed cultural issues to justify a new American Exceptionalism supporting U.S. global expansion. The book also explored the challenges of critiquing neoliberalism amid media influences, advocating for a reconceived role of the public intellectual in navigating diverse media as a social critic.

Much of Rowe's works revolves around Henry James, an American British Author. In his 1984 book titled The Theoretical Dimensions of Henry James he examined James from diverse perspectives, such as the psychology of literary influence, Marxism, feminism, psychoanalysis, literary phenomenology, and deconstruction. In doing so, he transformed James's literary masterpieces into focal points where various modern critical theories intersect. His book The Other Henry James (1998) presents a redefined perspective on Henry James, portraying him not as an elitist formalist, but as a socially sensitive critic engaged with and critical of the perplexing and oppressive societal issues of his era. His 2022 book, Our Henry James in Fiction, Film, and Popular Culture, offered an examination of Henry James's continued impact on popular culture, highlighting both the adaptability of his works in film and their ongoing relevance in discussions about social changes, gender and sexuality, and other contemporary issues.

In addition, Rowe's written works have focused on a range of themes, notably, including post nationalism, globalism, US imperialism and globalization. and Craig Santos Perez.

Awards and honors 1981 – Distinguished Teaching Award, University of California, Irvine 1982–1983 – Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation 2004–2007 – Elected Member, National Council, American Studies Association