Stephan Thernstrom, a distinguished Harvard historian, passed away at 90 due to complications from dementia. He gained national attention in the 1990s for his staunch opposition to affirmative action alongside his wife, Abigail. They argued that such policies reflected a racial pessimism and emphasized the need for genuine educational reform instead of reliance on quotas. Thernstrom was also embroiled in the political correctness debates of his time, after accusations of racially insensitive remarks in his classroom sparked controversy. His legacy endures through his significant contributions to the discourse on social mobility and race relations in America.
Stephan Thernstrom and Abigail Thernstrom were prominent critics of affirmative action, arguing that it perpetuated a form of racial pessimism rather than encouraging educational reform.
Thernstrom's critique was centered around the idea that racial preferences in admissions were merely superficial fixes, akin to 'a Band-Aid over a cancer'.
Through his work, Thernstrom engaged in the political correctness debates of the late 1980s, drawing attention and controversy for his approaches to sensitive historical topics.
His insights into social mobility, combined with his critical stance on affirmative action, positioned him as a significant intellectual figure in 20th-century American academia.
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