Search results for ""author philip spencer""

Nationalism has become a key area of political theory over recent years, with a huge expansion in the amount of literature available. Yet there are very few Readers which bring together the best and most representative of these works in one volume. This Reader includes both the core texts in the area which are required for any course on nationalism, and a selection of more interesting, less mainstream pieces - for example from post-communism and feminism, and debates which have taken place over issues such as citizenship, migration and asylum - with the aim of engaging the reader with some of the contemporary debates which have reconfigured our understanding of nationalism. The overall aim of the Reader is to allow students to draw together and relate theories and debates within and across a range of disciplines, illuminating themes and issues of central importance in both historical and contemporary contexts, and showing how nationalism has evolved and has impacted upon and interacted with other political and social forms and forces. Following a substantial introduction which provides the historical background, the Reader is divided into six sections: (1) The Origins of Nationalism; (2) Approaches to Nationalism; (3) Differentiating Nationalism -- Nationalism, Racism, Ethnicity; (4) Forms of Nationalism; (5) National Self-Determination and Nationalist Mobilisation; (6) Globalisation, Citizenship and Nationalism. Key Features: * Offers a mix of traditional texts from classic writers such as Gellner, Smith, Anderson and Breuilly and more innovative readings from fields such as post-communism and feminism * Covers topical debates surrounding citizenship, self-determination, and migration * The introduction provides the necessary historical background for understanding recent debates and places the contributions in their immediate context * Clear guidance for further reading is given at the end of each section

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Universalism shows two faces to the world: an emancipatory face that looks to the inclusion of the other, and a repressive face that sees in the other a failure to pass some fundamental test of humanity. Universalism can be used to demand that we treat all persons as human beings regardless of their differences, but it can also be used to represent whole categories of people as inhuman, not yet human or even enemies of humanity. The Jewish experience offers an equivocal test case. Universalism has stimulated the struggle for Jewish emancipation, but it has also helped to develop the idea that there is something peculiarly harmful to humanity about Jews – that there is a 'Jewish question' that needs to be 'solved'. This original and stimulating book traces struggles within the Enlightenment, Marxism, critical theory and the contemporary left, seeking to rescue universalism from its repressive, antisemitic undertones.

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From medieval accusations that Jews murder Christians for their blood to the far-right conspiracy theories animating present-day political discourse, it’s clear that the belief that Jews are plotting against society never dies—it just adapts to suit the times. In eight illuminating essays from brilliant Jewish writers and thinkers, Looking for an Enemy offers an urgent, profound take on the experience of antisemitism and its historical context. In order to present a nuanced, global understanding of antisemitism, editor Jo Glanville solicited essays from writers across a wide spectrum of ages, political ideologies, and nationalities. American rabbi Jill Jacobs and respected Israeli historian Tom Segev explore the thorny question of antisemitism in politics. British journalist Daniel Trilling investigates how antisemitism drives far-right extremism, while author Philip Spencer rethinks the forms that antisemitism takes on the left. Polish writer Mikolaj Grynberg reflects on a childhood shadowed by the trauma of the Holocaust; journalist Natasha Lehrer and novelist Olga Grjasnowa explore the culture of antisemitism, and the forces behind it, in France and Germany. In her own contribution, Glanville searches for the historical roots of this dangerous hatred. In moving memoir, rich history, and incisive political commentary, these essays navigate the complex differences in each country’s relationship to its Jewish citizens and reveal the contemporary face of antisemitism. Eye-opening and evocative, Looking for an Enemy explores how an irrational belief can still flourish in a supposedly rational age.

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From medieval accusations that Jews murder Christians for their blood to the far-right conspiracy theories animating present-day political discourse, it’s clear that the belief that Jews are plotting against society never dies—it just adapts to suit the times. In eight illuminating essays from brilliant Jewish writers and thinkers, Looking for an Enemy offers an urgent, profound take on the experience of antisemitism and its historical context. In order to present a nuanced, global understanding of antisemitism, editor Jo Glanville solicited essays from writers across a wide spectrum of ages, political ideologies, and nationalities. American rabbi Jill Jacobs and respected Israeli historian Tom Segev explore the thorny question of antisemitism in politics. British journalist Daniel Trilling investigates how antisemitism drives far-right extremism, while author Philip Spencer rethinks the forms that antisemitism takes on the left. Polish writer Mikolaj Grynberg reflects on a childhood shadowed by the trauma of the Holocaust; journalist Natasha Lehrer and novelist Olga Grjasnowa explore the culture of antisemitism, and the forces behind it, in France and Germany. In her own contribution, Glanville searches for the historical roots of this dangerous hatred. In moving memoir, rich history, and incisive political commentary, these essays navigate the complex differences in each country’s relationship to its Jewish citizens and reveal the contemporary face of antisemitism. Eye-opening and evocative, Looking for an Enemy explores how an irrational belief can still flourish in a supposedly rational age.

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