{"product_id":"in-defense-of-barbarism-louisa-yousfi-9781804294420","title":"In Defense of Barbarism: Non-Whites Against the Empire","description":"\u003cb\u003eA provocative, beautiful and defiant essay highlighting the pitfalls of integration in France by a talented young writer with North African roots\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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\u003cbr\u003e('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.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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'. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Louisa Yousfi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 180429442X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781804294420\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Verso\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/21\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 112\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs","brand":"Louisa Yousfi","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46334660346111,"sku":"9781804294420","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_ec631a4c-1d30-4bb0-a3f0-8e63a33c8df9.jpg?v=1731467431","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/in-defense-of-barbarism-louisa-yousfi-9781804294420","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}