At home in the world: Cosmopolitanism Now

Review This wide-ranging book unearths and challenges the spectral tenets of cosmopolitanism as articulated through the thesis of globalisation. In a highly entertaining and thorough dissection of the 'new' cosmopolitanism, Brennan argues that it is indeed not new, but founded on existing Western-oriented values, beliefs and structures. Brennan traces this movement across a varied but totalled terrain to note a theory of cosmopolitanism expressed within academia, the media and political and economic discourses and institutions. Through this analysis, Brennan uncovers an uncritical celebration of postmodernity and perceptions of differentiation, for example, cultural syncretism and cultural specificity, that fail to note the discourses of Western hegemony informing and sustaining these discussions. (Brett St. Louis Booknotes)This wide-ranging book unearths and challenges the spectral tenets of cosmopolitanism as articulated through the thesis of globalisation. In a highly entertaining and thorough dissection of the new cosmopolitanism, Brennan argues that it is indeed not new, but founded on existing Western-oriented values, beliefs and structures. Brennan traces this movement across a varied but totalled terrain to note a theory of cosmopolitanism expressed within academia, the media and political and economic discourses and institutions. Through this analysis, Brennan uncovers an uncritical celebration of postmodernity and perceptions of differentiation, for example, cultural syncretism and cultural specificity, that fail to note the discourses of Western hegemony informing and sustaining these discussions. (Brett St. Louis New Formations)Timothy Brennan first contributed to [the] controversies [surrounding cosmopolitanism] in his trenchant study of Salman Rushdie and the Third World. What interested him at the time was how such writers as Derek Walcott became fashionable by virtue of a 'cosmopolitanism' which made them ambiguous witnesses...Brennan's formidable new book, At Home in the World elaborates this diagnosis, extending the account of 'cosmopolitanism' to include the internationally informed academics, journalists, and policy advisors who are (in his view) stifling the message of liberation movements and clearing the way for a globalism, which is American capitalism writ large. The idea that Disney and McDonald's are taking over the world is not exactly novel, but Brennan gives a nuanced account of globalization and he has fresh, provocative things to say about the role of intellectuals in the New World Order. Most of those engaged in postcolonial criticism would consider themselves radical, but Brennan contends that they advance the interests of Western pluralism when they celebrate 'hybridity' or 'problematize' situations which are exploitive. (John Kerrigan Times Literary Supplement)One of the best things about this very good book is its genuinely interdisciplinary--or better, trans- or nondisciplinary--approach and perspectives. It is exhilarating and, in the best sense, thought-provoking to see discussed, linked, contrasted, et cetera, so many objects of scrutiny drawn from so many different areas...And all this from a position that lacks nothing in theoretical sophistication and self-awareness. Brennan's unique combinatoire of diverse perspectives forms what might be called a new, original disciplinary constellation, as Benjamin has taught us to see such structures of thought...I wish I had more space in which to tout the virtues of At Home in the World...More than any theorist or critic I have read in a long time, Brennan offers a penetrating scrutiny and profound critique of academic and intellectual practice in our day and shows why taking part in it is worth the effort. (David S. Gross World Literature Today)In this brilliant, erudite, and difficult book, Tim Brennan takes critical aim at postcolonial studies and what might be called 'transnational cultural studies'...At Home in the World is not merely