BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Chris Matthew Sciabarra was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1960. He resides in the Bensonhurst-Gravesend section of the borough.  He is the author of the Dialectics and Liberty Trilogy that began with Marx, Hayek, and Utopia, continued with Ayn Rand:  The Russian Radical, and culminates with Total Freedom:  Toward a Dialectical Libertarianism.  He is the coeditor with Mimi Reisel Gladstein of Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand, and also a coeditor of The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies.  He has been a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Politics at New York University since January 1989.

Degrees

He earned all three college degrees from New York University.  He graduated in June 1981, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, with a B.A. in History (with honors), Politics, and Economics. His history honors thesis, presented in May 1981, was in American labor history, directed by Daniel Walkowitz, and was entitled, "The Implications of Interventionism: An Analysis of the Pullman Strike." His major undergraduate fields were American History, Economics (Austrian Economics/Political Economy), and Politics (Political Theory). 

He earned his M.A. in Politics (with a concentration in political theory) in 1983. His masters' thesis was directed by Bertell Ollman and Israel Kirzner in June 1982, and was entitled, "A Brief Survey in Methodological Integration:   Dialectics, Praxeology and their Implications."

In June 1988, he earned his Ph.D. with distinction in political philosophy, theory, and methodology.  He passed his qualifying examinations and oral defense in both his major and minor areas (American Politics; Comparative Politics) with distinction in Spring 1984.  His dissertation, defended with distinction in Spring 1988, directed by Bertell Ollman, was entitled,  " Toward a Radical Critique of Utopianism: Dialectics and Dualism in the works of Friedrich Hayek, Murray Rothbard, and Karl Marx." 

Among his academic distinctions, awards, and grants are the following:

Earhart Fellowship (Earhart Foundation, Ann Arbor, Michigan):  1996; 1990-92.

William O'Boyle Fellowship (Institute for Humane Studies, Fairfax, Virginia):  1990-91.

Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellowship (Newcombe Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey):  1987-88.

Claude R. Lambe Fellowship (Institute for Humane Studies, Fairfax, Virginia):  1986-87.

Herbert H. Lehman Graduate Fellowship, 1981-85.

New York University Fellowship, 1981-84.

Helen M. Jones Prize for Best Record in the History Honors Course (New York University), 1981.

Joel Hershmann Prize for Excellence in American History (New York University), 1981.

University Honors Scholar (New York University), 1981.

Helbein Schoar (New York University), 1981.

French Departmental Award (New York University), 1980.

Dean's Honors List (New York University), 1977-81.

New York State Regents Scholarship, 1977-81.

His professional memberships have included:  

The Academy of Political Science, Alliance of Independent Scholars; American Academy of Political and Social Science; American Philosophical Association; The Ayn Rand Society (of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association); American Political Science Association; Center for Independent Study; Graduate Student Forum of the Humanities Council at New York University; National Coalition of Independent Scholars; Omicron Delta Epsilon (The International Honors Society in Economics); The Joseph H. Park History Honors Society; Phi Beta Kappa; Society for Scholarly Publishing; Society for Utopian Studies; and Canarsie AWARE, Inc.

Family

Chris comes from a close-knit extended family, in the Greek and Sicilian tradition. His
siblings include:  his sister Elizabeth Ann Sciabarra, a dedicated educator and teacher, former principal at New Dorp High School, and now Deputy Superintendent of Brooklyn and Staten Island High Schools;  his brother Carl Barry, a virtuoso jazz guitarist; and his sister-in-law, Joanne Barry, a brilliant jazz singer. Carl and Joanne have issued several CDs, and have appeared at many clubs and festivals.