Commissioned Book Review: Francis Fukuyama, Identity: Contemporary Identity Politics and the Struggle For Recognition
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929920942657 |
| Published date | 01 November 2020 |
| Date | 01 November 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Commissioned Book Reviews |
book-review2020
Commissioned Book Review
Political Studies Review
2020, Vol. 18(4) NP3 –NP4
Commissioned Book Review
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
Identity: Contemporary Identity Politics
demand for promoting the interests of marginal-
and the Struggle For Recognition by Francis
ized groups such as immigrants, blacks and
Fukuyama. London: Profile Books, 2018. 240 pp.,
women beyond mere economic demand for
£16.99 (Hardcover), ISBN 9781781259801
equality and justice (p. 18). In doing so, the
author attempts to explain the recent social
Fukuyama scrutinizes the grassroots of the movements for economic equality between men
struggle for social, political and economic and women as a social demand for equal social
changes as a desire for social dignity and recog-
recognition rather an economic demand.
nition in recent decades. This form of desire is Economic motivations are intertwined with
construed as the source of most political and identity issues in human behaviour as the author
economic movements for achieving universal details (p. 73). Interestingly, Fukuyama accen-
recognition as the author notes. To achieve this tuates on how the struggle for recognition itself
form of recognition, individuals are required to becomes a social instrument to articulate the
be recognized by every human for fulfilling individual need for dignity against the broader
their desired identity. Fukuyama in this book society identities in recent years.
attempts to break down the notion of the desire
Particularly, the issue lies in the rising ine-
for self-recognition into three main parts: quality in liberal states, Greece’s insolvency,
Thymos or craving for recognition of dignity, and subprime market collapse in 2008, encour-
isothymia or demand to be respected on an aging the rise of authoritarian states and leaders
equal condition and megalothymia or desire to who promulgate their own...
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