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

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.<>

Product details

• Authors: Yascha Mounk
• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 21.09.2023
• EAN: 9780241638293
• ISBN: 978-0-241-63829-3
• No. of pages: 416
• Dimensions: 162 mm x 240 mm x 37 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Society; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, Social & political philosophy, Political science & theory, Political structures: democracy, Psychology: the self, ego, identity, personality, Political science and theory, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Discrimination, Political ideologies and movements, Cultural policies and debates, Social Integration and assimilation, Social discrimination and social justice, society; economics; feminism; capitalism; political science