The Paradox of Liberation: Secular Revolutions and Religious Counterrevolutions

Many of the successful campaigns for national liberation in the years following World War II were initially based on democratic and secular ideals. Once established, however, the newly independent nations had to deal with entirely unexpected religious fierceness. Michael Walzer, one of America's foremost political thinkers, examines this perplexing trend by studying India, Israel, and Algeria, three nations whose founding principles and institutions have been sharply attacked by three completely different groups of religious revivalists: Hindu militants, ultra-Orthodox Jews and messianic Zionists, and Islamic radicals. In his provocative, well-reasoned discussion, Walzer asks why these secular democratic movements have failed to sustain their hegemony: Why have they been unable to reproduce their political culture beyond one or two generations? In a postscript, he compares the difficulties of contemporary secularism to the successful establishment of secular politics in the early American republic--thereby making an argument for American exceptionalism but gravely noting that we may be less exceptional today.

About the Author :
Eminent political theorist Michael Walzer, an emeritus professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, served as co-editor of the political journal "Dissent" for more than three decades and has played a critical role in the revival of practical, issue-focused ethics. He lives in Princeton, NJ.

Review :
"Michael Walzer is a titan among political philosophers, and "The Paradox of Liberation" is one of his greatest books--incisive, original, humane, bold, nuanced, timely, and relentlessly and beautifully lucid."--Paul Berman, author of "Terror and Liberalism and Flight of the Intellectuals" "Why do secular liberation movements so often give rise to quasi-religious reactionary movements, and is there any way in which this problematic dynamic might be avoided? Discussing Israel, India, Algeria, and the United States, Michael Walzer, America's leading political theorist, tackles this urgent question with clarity and deep insight."--Martha C. Nussbaum, The University of Chicago--Martha C. Nussbaum "Walzer traces, with admirable lucidity, the social and cultural reasons that liberation movements in Algeria, India, and Israel ended up betraying the secular democratic hopes that they originally inspired. His rich, insightful account makes it clear why he is often acclaimed as America's leading political thinker."--Richard Wolin, author of "The Wind from the East: French Intellectuals, the Cultural Revolution, and the Legacy of the 1960s" "In this remarkably innovative book Michael Walzer advances the bold thesis that national liberation movements, drunk on secular ambitions, ignored traditional religious and ethnic commitments at great cost. Decades after the liberation struggles were won, those powerful forces have come back to haunt them. This is Walzer at his incisive best."--Ian Shapiro, author of "The Real World of Democratic Theory" "Nationalism remains the most potent ideological force in modern politics. This study of the fate of nationalism in Israel, India, and Algeria shows how easily plans for liberation have flip-flopped into their opposite. At a time when our politics continually vacillates between boredom and frivolity, Michael Walzer has reminded us of what it truly important."--Steven B. Smith, Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science, Yale University--Steven Smith "Manifestly important. . . . Elegant and lucid. The issues [are] of wide significance and addressed with precision . . . and admirable clarity."--Allan Silver, Columbia University "With rare gifts of moral sensibility, eloquence, and humility, Michael Walzer turns three haunting stories of historical loss into stories of paradox and hope. This book is a brilliant call for commitment to the reproduction of secular democracy, and Walzer points a way forward."--Nancy L. Rosenblum, author of "On the Side of the Angels: An Appreciation of Parties and Partisanship" --Nancy L. Rosenblum "Manifestly important ... elegant and lucid. The issues [are] of wide significance and addressed with precision ... and admirable clarity."--Allan Silver, Columbia University