He Wanted to Teach Western Civilization. So He Quit Harvard.
From Conversations with Coleman by The Free Press
March 9, 2026 · 1h 22m
About this episode
James Hankins discusses his departure from Harvard and the decline of Western civilization studies in American education.
James Hankins is a Renaissance historian, longtime Harvard professor, and co-author of The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition. In this conversation with Coleman Hughes, he explains why he recently left Harvard, after nearly four decades, and why he believes the study of Western civilization has quietly disappeared from American education. Hankins argues that if students want to understand ideas like free speech, equality, and the rule of law, they need to know the long history story behind them—from ancient Greece and Rome through Christianity and the Enlightenment to the modern world. Along the way, he reflects on the controversy surrounding the Western canon, the debate over “dead white men,” and the question of whether a shared civilizational story is still possible in a pluralistic society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Coleman Hughes
Guest: James Hankins
Topics covered
- Western civilization
- education
- history
- philosophy
- cultural debate
Keywords
- Western civilization
- Harvard
- James Hankins
- education
- free speech
- cultural debate
- history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Harvard
Books & works: The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition
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