The Paradox of Liberation

March 1, 2015

In this slim but stimulating volume, Walzer (professor emeritus, the Inst. for Advanced Study; Just and Unjust Wars) examines three states created after World War II: India, Israel, and Algeria. In particular, the author's focus is on the parallel pattern in which each state was birthed by a secular political liberation movement and then challenged approximately 25 years later by a militant fundamentalist religious movement that persists today. Walzer argues that these three cases are representative of other campaigns for national liberation and explores the particulars of each to begin formulating an answer to the question: What happened to national liberation and to the secular democratic left? In addition to diagnosing what went wrong with these liberation movements from several political perspectives, the author proposes a path forward for national liberationists to acknowledge more effectively cultural and religious traditions in the hope of better avoiding toxic polarizations that breed future extremism. VERDICT While this book is commendably understandable for a broad audience, it will be of particular interest to political science scholars and other political junkies, especially those with leftward leanings.--Brian Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.