{"product_id":"the-failure-of-success-genealogy-bina-nir-9798902233206","title":"The Failure of Success, Genealogy of \"Success\" and \"Failure\"","description":"Success in modern Western society has become an object of aspiration for many, \u003cbr\u003ewho construct their self-worth-and in many respects their very\u003cbr\u003eidentity-according to accepted criteria of success, primarily in the professional\u003cbr\u003eand economic spheres. When the pursuit of success takes hold across all areas\u003cbr\u003eof life, many people find it difficult to live with failure or to acknowledge it.\u003cbr\u003eWhere, then, did the race for success in the West begin? Is it a phenomenon\u003cbr\u003eunique to our time? This book examines the cultural value of success and its\u003cbr\u003eorigins in Western society through the genealogical method. As a critical\u003cbr\u003emethodology, genealogical inquiry is driven by an interest in understanding\u003cbr\u003econtemporary reality and subjecting it to critique through a reinterpretation of\u003cbr\u003ethe past. Uncovering the past confronts us with contingency and diminishes the\u003cbr\u003edominance of necessity in our lives. The central thesis advanced in this book is\u003cbr\u003ethat the concepts of \"success\" and \"failure,\" which function as foundational\u003cbr\u003ecultural structures, are rooted at the very heart of Western culture. They are\u003cbr\u003edeeply embedded in its origins and should not be understood as late products of\u003cbr\u003econsumer capitalist culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBina Nir identifies three components that played a central role in the formation\u003cbr\u003eof these structures within Western culture: the separation of humanity from\u003cbr\u003enature, Judeo-Christian judgment, and the Western conception of time. Even if\u003cbr\u003ethese elements cannot be understood in terms of clear causal relations, they can\u003cbr\u003ebe identified and marked as part of the forces that led to the emergence of the\u003cbr\u003ecurrent condition. It is impossible to arrive at a definitive list of all the structures\u003cbr\u003eand forces that shaped the overarching constructs under discussion. However, \u003cbr\u003eexposing three of them allows us to understand that the prevailing structures of\u003cbr\u003esuccess and failure did not have to take the form they did. In other words, what\u003cbr\u003eoften appears inevitable is not a historical necessity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDr. Bina Nir is a cultural scholar and lecturer at the Sammy Ofer School of\u003cbr\u003eCommunications at Reichman University and in the Multidisciplinary Studies\u003cbr\u003eDepartment at the Western Galilee Academic College. She is the author of The\u003cbr\u003eFailure of Success [in Hebrew] (Resling, 2016) and Deconstructing Culture\u003cbr\u003efrom Anxiety to Hope [in Hebrew] (Niv Books, 2025).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Bina Nir\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798902233206\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Spines\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/25\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 214\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.56lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.45d","brand":"Bina Nir","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48743252361471,"sku":"9798902233206","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-failure-of-success-genealogy-bina-nir-9798902233206","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}