Secret Agents: The Rosenberg Case, McCarthyism and Fifties America (CultureWork: A Book Series from the Center for Literary and Cultural Studies at Harvard)

Secret Agents: The Rosenberg Case, McCarthyism and Fifties America was published in 1995 as a component of the CultureWork series produced by the Center for Literary and Cultural Studies at Harvard. Edited by Marjorie Garber and Rebecca L. Walkowitz, the volume emerged from an interdisciplinary effort to re-examine the intersections of Cold War politics, espionage, and cultural identity. The text was designed to move beyond traditional historical accounts by integrating critical theory and cultural analysis to dissect the lasting trauma of the Rosenberg trial.

The book functions as an anthology that draws upon academic discourse to interrogate how McCarthy-era rhetoric shaped American institutional and social life. By bringing together scholars who analyze the Rosenbergs not just as historical figures but as symbols of institutional anxiety, the editors sought to map the porous boundaries between domestic security and paranoia. It was received as a scholarly contribution to the field of American studies, valued for its attempt to frame the 1950s as a foundational period for contemporary surveillance culture.