Routledge shakeup: company may be on the block.(International Thompson may sell academic publisher)(Brief Article)

AS RUMORS AND SPECULATION mount concerning the possible sale of Routledge, morale at the publisher of trendy academic titles continues to dip.

The swift change in Routledge's fortunes comes as a surprise. Since the mid-1980s, Routledge has forged a reputation as a cutting-edge publisher of academic works in the general area of cultural studies by such authors as bell hooks, Andrew Ross and Gayatri Spivak. With the growth of cultural studies and academic popular-culture departments on U.S. campuses, Routledge appeared positioned for further growth.

Although calls to Routledge senior management were not returned, a number of individuals (who declined to be named) …