In Defense of Barbarism: Non-Whites Against the Empire
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- Synopsis
- A provocative, beautiful and defiant essay highlighting the pitfalls of integration in France by a talented young writer with North African rootsIs social integration all it&’s cracked up to be? Not in the defiant view of first-time French author Louisa Yousfi, who herself has North African roots. Taking its inspiration from the leading Algerian writer Kateb Yacine(&‘I&’m better off not being too cultivated. I have to retain a certain barbarianism&’), this provocative essay explores ways of resisting the cultural and moral hegemony of the French "Empire."Citing a wide range of cultural references, from the characters of Chester Himes and Toni Morrison to the in-your-face rap lyrics of the &‘street prophets&’ Booba and PNL, she extolls the virtues of her inner barbarian and champions those brave souls who refuse to be &‘domesticated&’.Challenging the conventional wisdom that posits integration as an unalloyed good, she shows how assimilation can equate to the loss of traditions, religion, language, and culture. And, whether discussing 9/11, the Algerian colonial era, the media treatment of celebrities of Arab origin, or the second-class status of French citizens from an immigrant background, she holds an uncompromising mirror up to the West and its moral shortcomings, as if to say: a barbarian I may be, but who is the real monster?Yousfi, a young, charismatic and dynamic author who uses a refreshingly wide range of cultural reference points, including rap music, to construct her argument, opens up the path of a decolonial cultural politics and an aesthetics of resistance.
- Copyright:
- 2022
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Publisher Quality
- Book Size:
- 128 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9781804294444
- Related ISBNs:
- 9781804294420
- Publisher:
- Verso Books
- Date of Addition:
- 01/21/25
- Copyrighted By:
- Louisa Yousfi
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- History, Nonfiction, Sociology
- Submitted By:
- Bookshare Staff
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.
- Translator:
- Andy Bliss