The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time

Yascha Mounk

ISBN 10: 0241638291 / ISBN 13: 9780241638293

Editore: Penguin Books Ltd, 2023

Riguardo questo articolo

Yascha Mounk, Penguin Books Ltd. The origins, consequences and limitations of an ideology that has quickly become highly influential around the world. An Economist, Financial Times, and Prospect Book of the Year For much of their history, societies have violently oppressed ethnic, religious and sexual minorities. It is no surprise then that many who passionately believe in social justice have come to think that members of marginalized groups need to take pride in their identity if they are to resist injustice. But over the past decades, a healthy appreciation for the culture and heritage of minorities has transformed into an obsession with group identity in all its forms, one that has quickly become influential around the world. A new ideology - which Yascha Mounk terms the 'identity synthesis' - seeks to put each citizen's matrix of identities at the heart of social, cultural and political life. This, he argues, is the Identity Trap. Mounk traces the intellectual origins, consequences and limitations of these ideas, explaining how they have been able to win tremendous power over the past decade and why their application to areas from education to public policy is proving to be deeply counterproductive. In his passionate plea for universalism and humanism, he argues that the proponents of identitarian ideas will, though they may be full of good intentions, make it harder to achieve progress towards genuine equality.Yascha Mounk is a writer and academic known for his work on the rise of populism and the crisis of liberal democracy. Born in Germany to Polish parents, Mounk received his BA in history from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and his PhD in government from Harvard University. He is now a professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. Mounk is also a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, the founder of the online magazine Persuasion and a publisher of Die Zeit. He is the author of The People vs Democracy- Why Our Freedom is in Danger and How to Save It and The Great Experiment- Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure.

Codice articolo 9780241638293-RETAIL

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time
• Editore: Penguin Books Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2023
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0241638291
• ISBN 13: 9780241638293
• Rilegatura: Hardback
• Tipo di libro: Hardback

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

The origins, consequences and limitations of an ideology that has quickly become highly influential around the world.

For much of their history, societies have violently oppressed ethnic, religious and sexual minorities. It is no surprise then that many who passionately believe in social justice have come to believe that members of marginalized groups need to take pride in their identity if they are to resist injustice.

But over the past decades, a healthy appreciation for the culture and heritage of minorities has transformed into an obsession with group identity in all its forms. A new ideology - which Yascha Mounk terms the 'identity synthesis' - seeks to put each citizen's matrix of identities at the heart of social, cultural and political life. This, he argues, is The Identity Trap.

Mounk traces the intellectual origin of these ideas. He tells the story of how they were able to win tremendous power over the past decade. And he makes a nuanced case why their application to areas from education to public policy is proving to be deeply counterproductive. In his passionate plea for universalism and humanism, he argues that the proponents of identitarian ideas will, though they may be full of good intentions, make it harder to achieve progress towards genuine equality.

Informazioni sull'autore

Yascha Mounk is a writer and academic known for his work on the rise of populism and the crisis of liberal democracy. Born in Germany to Polish parents, Mounk received his BA in history from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and his PhD in government from Harvard University. He is now a professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. Mounk is also a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, the founder of the online magazine Persuasion and a publisher of Die Zeit. He is the author of The People vs Democracy: Why Our Freedom is in Danger and How to Save It and The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure.