Harvard and the Salient
Since its revival in November of 2021, the Harvard Salient has become a household name on campus. Hand-delivered to every undergraduate dorm, issues of the Salient are an instantly recognizable feature of student life. Defending views that were assumed to have disappeared from campus, the Salient has put more than a few cracks in Harvard’s echo chamber while making itself a touchstone for debate and conversation among undergraduates.
During this time, the Salient has focused on opinion pieces, bringing conservative views back into the public sphere at Harvard for the first time since 2012. By approaching controversies from the perspective of political theory rather than engaging directly with the charged rhetorical contests of national and local politics, the Salient has opened up new discussions and engaged with audiences that otherwise would have been inaccessible.
The Salient Substack’s primary goal will be to report on Harvard’s campus environment clearly and perceptively. By analyzing the actions of Harvard’s leadership, Harvard-sponsored events and exhibitions, and the efforts of notable student-led groups, we hope to shine light on the true state of affairs on campus, filling the unavoidable gaps in the perspectives provided by national media.
In addition, this Substack will feature contributions that relate events at Harvard to broader issues in American society. Trends affecting Harvard’s student body and administrative structure have repercussions far beyond the walls of Harvard Yard. The Salient hopes to offer a window into the preoccupations of the Ivy League elite–the goals, unstated presuppositions, and blind spots that define the American “expert” class–and to connect these insights to political issues at the national level.
Salient writers are also free to address current events with no direct connection to the university, bringing their personal experience and expertise to bear on questions they feel have not received adequate treatment in other media. Unconstrained by the explicit political commitments and economic constraints that limit the contributors of larger-scale, for-profit publications, our writers have the opportunity to discuss current affairs with unparalleled rhetorical and intellectual freedom.
The Salient is used to blazing new trails. Having pioneered the use of pseudonyms in a successful bid to encourage otherwise reluctant student writers to challenge Harvard’s passive political consensus, it stands ready to navigate its own digital path. Rather than publishing entire issues online, the Salient will follow a hybrid model in which highlights from its print issues will appear online together with content written exclusively for Substack.
Maintaining our unique identity as a print-focused publication written by and for students, we are excited to launch the Salient Substack as a vital addition to our current operations. Increasing the reach and visibility of dissenting thought at Harvard, this Substack will serve as a digital testament to our fight for free speech, intellectual diversity, and open inquiry. If you share in that mission, please subscribe, join us, and spread the word.