We specialize in hard to find items
(1)
In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong
Share Tweet
*Price and Stocks may change without prior notice
*Packaging of actual item may differ from photo shown
- Electrical items MAY be 110 volts.
- 7 Day Return Policy
- All products are genuine and original
About In The Name Of Identity: Violence And The Need To
Product Description “Makes for compelling reading in America today.”—New York Times Book Review. “I want to try and understand why so many people commit crimes in the name of identity,” writes Amin Maalouf. Identity is the crucible out of which we come: our background, our race, our gender, our tribal affiliations, our religion (or lack thereof), all go into making up who we are. All too often, however, the notion of identity—personal, religious, ethnic, or national—has given rise to heated passions and even massive crimes. Moving across the world’s history, faiths, and politics, he argues against an oversimplified and hostile interpretation of the concept. He cogently and persuasively examines identity in the context of the modern world, where it can be viewed as both glory and poison. Evident here are the dangers of using identity as a protective—and therefore aggressive—mechanism, the root of racial, geographical, and colonialist subjugation throughout history. Maalouf contends that many of us would reject our inherited conceptions of identity, to which we cling through habit, if only we examined them more closely. The future of society depends on accepting all identities, while recognizing our individualism. Review “Speaks from the depth of a powerful intellect.” ( Times (London)) “Maalouf is a thoughtful, humane and passionate interlocutor.” ( The New York Times Book Review) About the Author Amin Maalouf has written seven novels, including The Gardens of Light, Leo Africanus, and The Rock of Tanios, which won the Goncourt Prize in 1993. He is the former director of the leading Beirut newspaper an-Nahar. He lives in Paris. Barbara Bray has twice won the Scott Moncrief Prize for her translations, as well as the French-American Foundation Prize. She has collaborated with Harold Pinter and Joseph Losey on a film adaptation of Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu. She passed away in 2010.
