In this provocative book, distinguished scholar Clarence C. Walton decries the influence of three major strains in American intellectual thought-literary deconstructionism, postmodernism, and feminism-on the academic world in particular, and on American public policy in general. Walton points to dissent in churches, divorce, distrust of government, and discord on campus as evidence of the impact of this "academic power elite." He provides an overview of each of these three intellectual movements, examining their origins and their participants, and suggests that together, they are engaged in a crusade to change the face of America. Archons and Acolytes is sure to incite discussion among academics and intellectuals across the disciplines.