The Gift of Freedom - War, Debt, and Other Refugee Passages (Paperback)

In "The Gift of Freedom," Mimi Thi Nguyen develops a new understanding of contemporary United States empire and its self-interested claims to provide for others the advantage of human freedom. Bringing together critiques of liberalism with postcolonial approaches to the modern cartography of progress, Nguyen proposes "the gift of freedom" as the name for those forces that avow to reverence aliveness and beauty, and to govern an enlightened humanity, while producing new subjects and actions--such as a grateful refugee, or enduring war--in an age of liberal empire. From the Cold War to the global war on terror, the United States simultaneously promises the gift of freedom through war and violence and administers the debt that follows. Focusing here on the figure of the Vietnamese refugee as the twice-over target of the gift of freedom--first through war, second through refuge--Nguyen suggests that the imposition of debt precludes the subjects of freedom from escaping those colonial histories that deemed them "unfree." To receive the gift of freedom then is to be indebted to empire, perhaps without end.

General

Imprint:	Duke University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	October 2012
First published:	October 2012
Authors:	Mimi Thi Nguyen
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 17mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	296
ISBN-13:	978-0-8223-5239-6
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political structure & processes > Colonization & independence Books > Humanities > History > World history > From 1900 > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political control & freedoms > Human rights > Civil rights & citizenship Books > History > American history > General Books > History > World history > From 1900 > General Promotions
LSN:	0-8223-5239-7
Barcode:	9780822352396

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!