''In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong'' (French: ''Les Identités Meurtrières'') is a 1998 book by
, in which he discusses the identity crisis that Arabs have experienced since the establishment of continuous relationships with the west, adding his personal dimension as a
Lebanese Christian.
[Maalouf, Amin. ]998
Year 998 ( CMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Spring – Otto III retakes Rome and restores power in the papal city. Crescenti ...
2001. ''In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong''. translated by B. Bray, Time-Warner. .
This work is divided into five major chapters, "Identity and Belonging", "When Modernity Comes From the Other", "The Era of Cosmic Tribals", "Taming the Shrew" and a glossary. He begins with universal values of identity, which he dissects, describes the extremes, then applies them to the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
. He attempts to describe how the average modern Arab feels, along a wide spectrum of ideologies in practice throughout the Arab world...from religious beliefs and traditional practices to total
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...
.
The book is intended for both Arabs and Westerners (as well as for people with mixed heritage), and also sheds light on recent events in the Arab world, from civil wars to relations with the west.
References
1998 non-fiction books
Works by Amin Maalouf
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