Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy

by Natan Sharansky

Overview

Who is better prepared to confront challenges and defend principles in a volatile modern world? Those with strong national, religious, ethnic, or tribal identities who accept democracy, or democrats who renounce identity as a kind of divisive prejudice?

Natan Sharansky, building on his personal experience as a dissident, argues that valueless cosmopolitanism, even in democracies, is dangerous. Better to have hostile identities framed by democracy than democrats indifferent to identity.

In a vigorous, insightful challenge to the left and right alike, Natan Sharansky, as he has proved repeatedly, is at the leading edge of the issues that frame our times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781586486518
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	06/03/2008
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	345 KB

About the Author

Natan Sharansky is a former Soviet dissident, political prisoner, and human rights icon who has spent his life championing democracy and freedom. He now serves as the Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs in the Israeli Government.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Democracy and Identity 1

2 Discovering Identity 17

3 The Assault on Identity 43

4 Post-Identity and the Collapse of Human Rights 80

5 Identity in the Public Space 102

6 Altneuland: At the Crossroads of Identity and Democracy 142

7 Defending the Nation-State 168

8 Peace or War 201

Conclusion: Building a New Alliance 221

Acknowledgments 233

Index 235

Editorial Reviews

Sharansky compellingly argues that distinct group identities within a culture are an essential part of a successful democracy and that attempts to bleach out or deny identity can have catastrophic results. Much of his argument is shaped and funneled through his experience as a political prisoner in the Soviet gulags and later as a citizen and activist in Israel. Though one is inclined to ask if Sharansky means anything more with his usage of "identity" than religion, he still makes clear points about contemporary Jewish and Muslim identity. His most intriguing discussions center on the postidentity crisis that many of the developed nations find themselves facing. Stefan Rudnicki's deep voice enables a stronger foreboding tone for Sharansky's words. His light use of accents for quotes provides context without exaggeration. Most important, Rudnicki patiently works through the text with shifting emphasis and pauses to allow for listener understanding during the more cerebral elements of Sharansky's writings. A Perseus hardcover. (Oct.)

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Publishers Weekly

Sharansky and Weiss built this spirited defense of Israel as a Jewish state on the foundation of Sharanky's personal experience as a Soviet citizen, dissident, and prisoner and as an Israeli politician. The first-person narrative forms a single structured argument and should be heard from beginning to end. Stefan Rudnicki’s narration is clear and well paced. His voice, which seems somehow to capture the whole of human experience in every sentence, gives life to Sharansky's logic. After nine years in Soviet prison and many more defending Israel against enemies and detractors, Sharansky still maintains his sense of humor and of hope. F.C. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2010 - AudioFile