There Is No Such Thing as Cultural Identity

<p>As people throughout the world react to globalization and revert to nationalism, they are proclaiming distinct cultural identities for themselves.&nbsp; Cultural identity seems to offer a defensive wall against the homogenizing effects of globalization and a framework for nurturing and protecting cultural differences.</p> <p>In this short and provocative book, Fran&ccedil;ois Jullien argues that this emphasis on cultural identity is a mistake.&nbsp; Cultures exist in relation to one another and they are constantly mutating and transforming themselves.&nbsp; There is no cultural identity, there are only what Jullien calls &lsquo;resources&rsquo;.&nbsp; Resources are created in a certain space, they are available to all and belong to no one. They are not exclusive, like the values to which we proclaim loyalty; instead, we deploy them or not, activate them or let them fall by the wayside, and each of us as individuals is responsible for these choices.&nbsp; This conceptual shift requires us to redefine three key terms &ndash; the universal, the uniform and the common.&nbsp; Equipped with these concepts, we can rethink the dialogue between cultures in a way that avoids what Jullien sees as the false debate about identity and difference.</p> <p>This powerful critique of the modern shibboleth of cultural identity will appeal to anyone interested in the great social and political questions of our time.</p>