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License to Travel
A Cultural History of the Passport
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Check link for latest rating. ( 94 ratings, 17 reviews)
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License to Travel
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
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Description
This surprising global history of an indispensable document reveals how the passport has shaped art, thought, and human experience while helping to define the modern world.
Narrow escapes and new starts, tearful departures and hopeful arrivals, unwanted scrutiny in the backrooms of officialdom: some of our most memorable experiences involve a passport. In License to Travel, Patrick Bixby examines the passports of artists and intellectuals, ancient messengers and modern migrants to reveal how these seemingly humble documents implicate us in larger narratives about identity, mobility, citizenship, and state authority.
This concise cultural history takes the reader on a captivating journey from pharaonic Egypt and Han-dynasty China to the passport controls and crowded refugee camps of today. Along the way, the book connects intimate stories of vulnerability and desire with vivid examples drawn from world cinema, literature, art, philosophy, and politics, highlighting the control that travel documents have over our bodies as we move around the globe.
With unexpected discoveries at every turn, License to Travel exposes the passport as both an instrument of personal freedom and a tool of government surveillance powerful enough to define our very humanity.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Patrick Bixby's License to Travel is lauded for its comprehensive exploration of the history and cultural significance of the passport, highlighting its power and inequalities. Reviews praise the book for being insightful and accessible, providing a formidable overview of how passports impact freedom and define individual identities. The narrative is described as engaging, making it an enlightening read for both seasoned travellers and those interested in the political dynamics of travel documentation.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780520375857
Publisher: University of California Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 25 October 2022
Country: United States
Imprint: University of California Press
Illustration: 18 b-w photos
Audience: Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 140.0mm
Height: 210.0mm
Weight: 408g
Pages: 248
About the Author
Patrick Bixby is Professor of English at Arizona State University. His books include Unaccompanied Traveler: The Writings of Kathleen M. Murphy.
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