Clemson names Class of ’41 Memorial Professor of the Humanities

Published: September 10, 2009

CLEMSON — Todd May, professor of philosophy at Clemson University, has been named the Class of ’41 Memorial Professor of the Humanities.

The endowed professorship was established in 1985 as part of the Class of ’41 Memorial Endowment. It is awarded to a faculty member from a liberal arts discipline with a record of outstanding achievement in both scholarship and teaching.

May specializes in continental philosophy, especially recent French philosophy, and teaches a variety of classes within the philosophy and religion department. His classes range over the thought of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, postmodernism and art, and moral realism, to name a few. May focuses his research on the work of Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze and Jacques Rancière. He currently is studying the role of friendship in contemporary society.

May is the author of 10 books, including one that is forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press. His 1994 book, “The Political Philosophy of Poststructuralist Anarchism,” has been influential in recent political thought, and several of his books have been translated into other languages.

In his letter of recommendation, department chairman William Maker said, “May is a master not only at enabling students to comprehend the often abstruse and abstract stuff of philosophy, but also and especially in making it relevant and meaningful for their lives. In his hands philosophy is no longer another academic subject but something that touches the core of their understanding and experience of life. May makes philosophy real in the way it should be. This is a rare and valuable talent.”

Previously, May has been honored with the Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, as well as the Gentry Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Humanities. In 2007, he was appointed as the first Lemon Professor of Philosophy.

May grew up in New York City and received his Ph.D. from Penn State University. He came to Clemson in 1991.

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