Description
Konstantinovic'sbookresists easy classification, mixing classical, Montaigne-like essay, prose poetry, novel, and literary history. The word 'philosophy' in the book's title refers to the solitary activity of reflection and critical thinking, and is also paradoxical: according to the author, a defining characteristic of parochialism is precisely its intolerance toward this kind of self-reflexivity. In Konstantinovic's analysis, parochialism is not a simply a characteristic of a geographical region or a cultural, political, and historical formation-these are all just manifestations of the parochial spirit as the spirit of insularity. His book illuminates the current moment, in which insularity undergirds not only ethnic and national divisions, but also dictates the very structure of everyday life, and where individuals can easily find themselves locked in an echo chamber of social media. The Philosophy of Parochialism can help us understand better not only the dead ends of ethnic nationalism and other atavistic ideologies, but also of those cultural forces such as digital technologies that have been built on the promise of overcoming those ideologies.
About the Author
Radomir Konstantinovic (1928-2011) was a Serbian poet and novelist.
Book Information
ISBN 9780472132720
Author Radomir Konstantinovic
Format Hardback
Page Count 392
Imprint The University of Michigan Press
Publisher The University of Michigan Press
Weight(grams) 333g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 157mm * 29mm