{"product_id":"in-defence-of-barbarism-by-louisa-yousfi-9781804294420","title":"In Defence of Barbarism","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs social integration all it’s cracked up to be? Not in the defiant view of first-time French author Louisa Yousfi, who herself has North African roots. Taking its inspiration from the leading Algerian writer Kateb Yacine (‘I’m better off not being too cultivated. I have to retain a certain barbarianism’), this provocative essay explores ways of resisting the cultural and moral hegemony of the French ‘Empire’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCiting a wide range of cultural references, from the characters of Chester Himes and Toni Morrison to the in-your-face rap lyrics of the ‘street prophets’ Booba and PNL, she extolls the virtues of her inner barbarian and champions those brave souls who refuse to be ‘domesticated’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChallenging the conventional wisdom that posits integration as an unalloyed good, she shows how assimilation can equate to the loss of traditions, religion, language, and culture. And, whether discussing 9\/11, the Algerian colonial era, the media treatment of celebrities of Arab origin, or the second-class status of French citizens from an immigrant background, she holds an uncompromising mirror up to the West and its moral shortcomings, as if to say: a barbarian I may be, but who is the real monster?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYousfi, a young, charismatic and dynamic author who uses a refreshingly wide range of cultural reference points, including rap music, to construct her argument, opens up the path of a decolonial cultural politics and an aesthetics of resistance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46844095234284,"sku":"9781804294420","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/f242124ab152339f43c8cf65f766b1c4.jpg?v=1758833392","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/in-defence-of-barbarism-by-louisa-yousfi-9781804294420","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}