Congratulations to Jens-Martin Eriksen and Frederik Stjernfelt for winning best title in the non-fiction category at the London Book Festival for their book The Democratic Contradictions of Multiculturalism, published by Telos Press.
Congratulations in the same category to Timothy W. Luke and Ben Agger, who received Honorable Mention for their anthology A Journal of No Illusions: Telos, Paul Piccone, and the Americanization of Critical Theory.
The awards will be presented at the British Library on January 23, 2014.
To celebrate the awards, we’re offering a 20% discount on both books when purchased at our online store through the end of January.
About The Democratic Contradictions of Multiculturalism
What is multiculturalism? Is it every person’s right in a democratic society to choose his or her religion and culture and to express criticism regardless of taboos and moralistic norms? Or is it the right of cultures and religions to be protected from insult and to preserve themselves against change? Jens-Martin Eriksen and Frederik Stjernfelt examine the ideology and the reality of multiculturalism, including the Muhammad cartoons, laws against blasphemy, hijab, the Islamic ban on apostasy, and the limits of the freedom of religion.
“It’s hard to imagine a book more timely, more courageous, and more useful to those of us trying to sort through the confusion of contemporary political language.”
—Michael A. Ledeen, Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
“No other work I know of has depicted this landscape with such skill and authority—and no small amount of intellectual courage.”
—Fouad Ajami, Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution, and author of The Arab Predicament: Arab Political Thought and Practice Since 1967
“The Democratic Contradictions of Multiculturalism is a very important book in this day and age. It provides a thorough, systematic survey and analysis of contemporary versions and trends within multiculturalism, discloses its origins, and looks at its place in current politics, philosophy, and religion. A book not to be missed by anybody interested in the state of the world. That means, not to be missed by anybody.”
—Vincent F. Hendricks, Professor of Formal Philosophy, University of Copenhagen and Columbia University
“What would a society be like in which the ideals of ‘hard multiculturalism’ are made real—a society in which communities may enforce their own mores and traditions on their members, may even mobilize their own police force and legal system? In this brilliant book, Jens-Martin Eriksen and Frederik Stjernfelt, well known for their studies of Bosnia and Serbia, explore from both an empirical and a theoretical point of view what happens when culture becomes a political ideology.”
—Barry Smith, Julian Park Professor of Philosophy, University at Buffalo
