Intellectual Psychotherapy
by Greta Krippner
I first met Giovanni Arrighi when, as a struggling doctoral student, I took a pilgrimage to Baltimore. The trip had been arranged by my graduate thesis advisor, Erik Wright, who I believe saw it as a last resort. Erik’s insistence on the trip was completely inspired, of course, as the two days I spent at Johns Hopkins were a highlight (perhaps the highlight) of a lengthy graduate school career. Much to my surprise, Giovanni had arranged a full schedule for my visit, including meetings with various professors and graduate students at Hopkins, participation in Giovanni’s graduate seminar with David Harvey, and a very nice dinner. Most memorable, though, were the two longish meetings I had with Giovanni in his office. It felt like an intellectual form of psychotherapy – only Giovanni did most of the talking, and I frantically took notes, filling a small notebook. (I may be embellishing here, but I even remember Giovanni sitting in a black leather chair as I sat across from him on a sofa.) At any rate, the therapy was successful. I left Baltimore feeling a little bewildered (as a graduate student, I was not used to receiving so much attention), but also as though I had been given a mission. It was what I needed to get working, and the dissertation followed in (relatively) short order. Giovanni agreed to serve on my dissertation committee as an outside reader, and continued to keep in touch with me as I later transformed the dissertation into a book. Through the years, I was continually astounded by the intellectual generosity Giovanni showed me, but I know through meeting many of his students that my experience was not at all atypical. Giovanni’s intellectual enterprise was an expansive one, and he shared his ideas freely, nurturing dozens upon dozens of younger scholars. That I was so lucky to be one of these younger scholars was my great fortune. I feel privileged to have known Giovanni, and am deeply saddened by his departure.