Land of Strangers - Softcover

"Ash Amin s Land of Strangers is an illuminating discussion on the fate of the stranger in modern Western societies, focussing both on the ways in which the Other is constructed" sociologica 'Amin's unbated curiousity and inquisitiveness allow him to reinvigorate established social and political theories that aspire to formulate inclusive identities and spaces for the integration of the stranger, while acknowledging that the current economic and political conditions of imposed austerity measures and the rise of the Far Right do not favour this much-needed experimentation and disengagement.' Radical Philosophy This is a brilliant and illuminating book. Ash Amin relentlessly dispels cliches about modern society in reader-friendly prose; more positively, he explores ways to manage the complexities with which we live.' Richard Sennett, London School of Economics and New York University The prize is an important one: to forge a politics of belonging that does not prejudge the meaning of belonging and allows solidarity to coexist between the parties involved. After reading this brilliant book, I am convinced that such a politics is possible and could help to extend civility in ways that we are only just beginning to think about. Reviewers tend to overuse the phrase "essential reading" but this book really is.' Nigel Thrift, University of Warwick An insightful and genuinely interdisciplinary exploration of the moral and material basis of how to nurture a sense of togetherness in a society of relative strangers. Both analytical and normative, the book opens up imaginative ways of building a sense of the commons in a volatile and alienated social universe.' Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh, University of Westminster

The more social relationships become impersonal and looser, the more we seem to want to return to a world of closer personal ties, and as a means of negotiating diversity and difference. A nostalgia for a time of interpersonal ties and human acknowledgement has grown, in the belief that this will help to overcome contemporary problems such as alienation, disenchantment and xenophobia. This book offers a counter-argument, by looking to habits of living that are not reducible to social ties to explain contemporary malaises of social integration and to offer new suggestions for living in diversity.