Bibliograph

The identity trap, a story of ideas and power in our time, Yascha Mounk

Type

Label

The identity trap, a story of ideas and power in our time, Yascha Mounk

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-383) and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The identity trap

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1382393430

Responsibility statement

Yascha Mounk

Sub title

a story of ideas and power in our time

Summary

For much of history, societies have violently oppressed ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. It is no surprise that many who passionately believe in social justice came to believe that members of marginalized groups need to take pride in their identity to resist injustice. Over the past decades, a healthy appreciation for the culture and heritage of minority groups has transformed into a counterproductive obsession with group identity in all its forms. Mounk believes a new ideology aiming to place each person's matrix of identities at the center of social, cultural, and political life has become influential, but it stifles discourse, vilifies mutual influence as cultural appropriation, and insists that the way governments treat their citizens should depend on the color of their skin. This identity trap will ultimately make it harder to achieve progress toward the genuine equality we desperately need. -- condensed from publisher info

Table Of Contents

Introduction: The lure and the trap -- Part I. The origins of the identity synthesis. Postwar Paris and the trial of truth ; The end of empire and the embrace of "strategic essentialism" ; The rejection of the civil rights movement and the rise of critical race theory ; The identity synthesis -- Part II. The victory of the identity synthesis. The identity synthesis goes mainstream ; The short march through the institutions ; Dissent discouraged -- Part III. The flaws of the identity synthesis. How to understand each other ; The joys of mutual influence ; Speak freely ; The case for integration ; The path to equality ; On structural racism, gender, and meritocracy -- Part IV. In defense of universalism. A response to the identity synthesis ; A brief case for the liberal alternative -- Conclusion: How to escape the identity trap -- Appendix: Why the identity synthesis isn't Marxist

Classification

Creator