Princeton University Press, January 2009
What should we do about foreigners? Should we try to make them more like us or keep them at bay to protect our democracy, our culture, our well-being? This dilemma underlies age-old debates about immigration, citizenship, and national identity that are strikingly relevant today. In Democracy and the Foreigner, Bonnie Honig reverses the question: What problems might foreigners solve for us? Hers is not a conventional approach. Instead of lauding the achievements of individual foreigners, she probes a much larger issue--the symbolic politics of foreignness. In doing so she shows not only how our debates over foreignness help shore up our national or democratic identities, but how anxieties endemic to liberal democracy themselves animate ambivalence toward foreignness.
Central to Honig's arguments are stories featuring ''foreign-founders,'' in which the origins or revitalization of a people depend upon a foreigner's energy, virtue, insight, or law. From such popular movies as The Wizard of Oz, Shane, and Strictly Ballroom to the biblical stories of Moses and Ruth to the myth of an immigrant America, from Rousseau to Freud, foreignness is represented not just as a threat but as a supplement for communities periodically requiring renewal. Why? Why do people tell stories in which their societies are dependent on strangers?
One of Honig's most surprising conclusions is that an appreciation of the role of foreigners in (re)founding peoples works neither solely as a cosmopolitan nor a nationalist resource. For example, in America, nationalists see one archetypal foreign-founder--the naturalized immigrant--as reconfirming the allure of deeply held American values, whereas to cosmopolitans this immigrant represents the deeply transnational character of American democracy. Scholars and students of political theory, and all those concerned with the dilemmas democracy faces in accommodating difference, will find this book rich with valuable and stimulating insights.
$19.19 List price: $30.95 You save: 38% ($11.76)
If you use one of Kobo's free reading apps you won't need to worry about download options most of the time. Your Kobo reading app can easily add Kobo Store books to your library for a seamless reading experience.
Download options matter when:
In both of these cases you will need to:
You can also use Digital Editions to transfer the book to your eReader. See here for more information on Digital Editions.
You can read this item on your computer using our free Kobo Desktop Application. This application lets you read, manage your library of eBooks, and even shop for new ones. Check out our demo for more information!
Learn More »You can read this item on your Kobo eReader (or other select electronic reading devices). The Kobo eReader lets you carry your whole library with you, so that you can read on the go.
Visit kobo.com/ereaders »You can read this item on select tablets using one of our free Kobo apps. These apps let you read, manage your library of eBooks, and even shop for new ones.
Learn More »You can read this item on your Kobo Vox eReader. The Kobo Vox eReader lets you read books with color, sound or interactive elements. Check out our demo for more information on the Kobo Vox.
Learn More »You can read this item on your Kobo Arc using the Library app. This app lets you read, manage your library of eBooks, and shop for new books.
Learn More »You can read this item on any Android device (phone, tablet) with one of our free Kobo apps. These apps let you read, manage your library of eBooks, and even shop for new ones.
Learn More »You can read this item on the free Kobo app for iPhone. This app let you read, manage your library of eBooks, and even shop for new ones.
Download the iPhone App! Learn More »
By: {2}
Available on: {3}
Coming soon
Secure TransactionSubtotal
Store Credit
Total
We'll charge your credit card {4} on {3}.
We'll charge your credit card {4} when the book is added to your Library.
Your store credit covers the cost of this purchase, so we don't charge your credit card
Use Quick Buy for all eBook purchases.{2} is now in your library. You'll receive an email confirming your purchase very soon.
{2} has been pre-ordered. You'll receive a confirmation email confirming your pre-order very soon.
You were charged:
You will be charged: on {3}
You will be charged: when the book is added to your Library
Rakuten Super Points earned: {1}
Rakuten Super Points {1} earned after the book is added to your Library
