Overview

This book is concerned with the notion of the stranger-the foreigner, outsider, or alien in a country and society not their own-as well as the notion of strangeness within the self, a person's deep sense of being, as distinct from outside appearance and their conscious idea of self. Julia Kristeva begins with the personal and moves outward by examining world literature and philosophy. She discusses the foreigner in Greek tragedy, in the Bible, and in the literature of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Enlightenment, and the twentieth century. By considering the legal status of foreigners throughout history, Kristeva offers a different perspective on our own civilization.

Full Product Details

9780231214612

Table of Contents

Reviews

"Kristeva suggests that the antidote to xenophobia, racism and other weapons against outsiders is to recognize that ""the foreigner is within us."" [The book] demonstrates her amazing command of history, politics, literature, linguistics, and psychology...argues powerfully for a radical examination of self, beginning with the realization that what is most fearful to us in the stranger may be the very quality we do not want to recognize in ourselves. Only through this reconciliation with our estranged self, Kristeva asserts, can we begin to give fair treatment to others. * San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle * Kristeva’s most accessible book to date, of broad historical scope and deep personal passion. It is also a very wise book * Comparative Literature *"

Author Information

Julia Kristeva is professor emerita of linguistics at the Université de Paris VII. A renowned psychoanalyst, philosopher, and linguist, she has written dozens of books spanning semiotics, political theory, literary criticism, gender and sex, and cultural critique, as well as several novels and autobiographical works, published in English translation by Columbia University Press. Kristeva was the inaugural recipient of the Holberg International Memorial Prize in 2004 “for innovative explorations of questions on the intersection of language, culture, and literature.”

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available