'A fascinating account of the intellectual origins of identity politics' Financial Times
Books of the Year The origins consequences and limitations of an ideology that has quickly
become highly influential around the world. For much of their history societies have
violently oppressed ethnic religious and sexual minorities. It is no surprise then that many
who passionately believe in social justice have come to believe that members of marginalized
groups need to take pride in their identity if they are to resist injustice. But over the past
decades a healthy appreciation for the culture and heritage of minorities has transformed into
an obsession with group identity in all its forms. A new ideology - which Yascha Mounk terms
the 'identity synthesis' - seeks to put each citizen's matrix of identities at the heart of
social cultural and political life. This he argues is The Identity Trap . Mounk traces the
intellectual origin of these ideas. He tells the story of how they were able to win tremendous
power over the past decade. And he makes a nuanced case why their application to areas from
education to public policy is proving to be deeply counterproductive. In his passionate plea
for universalism and humanism he argues that the proponents of identitarian ideas will though
they may be full of good intentions make it harder to achieve progress towards genuine
equality.
