The West : A New History of an Old Idea

Author: Sweeney, Naoise Mac

Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900

Published on 7 March 2024 by Ebury Publishing (W H Allen) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 448 pages
198 x 127 x 26 | 310g

*A BBC RADIO 4 Book of the Week*'A fantastic achievement' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads'Bright, expansive, and iconoclastic, this deliciously witty book has the potential to upset the applecart of 'Western Civilisation' itself... Magnificent' Prof. Suzannah LipscombA radical new account of how the idea of the West has shaped our history, told through the stories of fourteen fascinating lives.

We tend to imagine Western Civilisation as a golden thread stretching from classical antiquity to the countries of the modern Western world. But what if this is wrong?Told through the lives of fourteen fascinating historical figures - including a formidable Roman matriarch, an unconventional Islamic scholar, an enslaved African American poetess and a British prime minister with Homeric aspirations – archaeologist and historian Naoíse Mac Sweeney charts how the idea of the West was invented, how it has been used to justify imperialism and racism, and why it is no longer ideologically fit for purpose today.

The result is a bold and empowering new story of the people and ideas who made us who we are today.