"Neither pure universalism nor radical relativism can provide the
foundation for a valid critique of imperial ideology. A successful
attempt at coordinating the two approaches was made at the time of
the Enlightenment. In today's world, where imperialism has again
become a motivating force in international politics, Sankar Muthu
does well to revive and analyze this critical conception."--Tzvetan
Todorov, author of "Hope and Memory"
"This is a remarkable book to come from a young scholar. Sankar
Muthu has recovered a lost history of Enlightenment
anti-imperialism, and shown us how its great exponents--Diderot,
Kant and Herder--were able to combine a keen sense of cultural
diversity with a steady awareness of what may be morally universal.
The book is not only a virtuoso piece of historical reconstruction,
but also a lesson in how a proper understanding of history equips
us in unexpected and powerful ways to make sense of our own
time."--Richard Tuck, Harvard University
"An impressive work of scholarship with a fascinating line of
argument, "Enlightenment against Empire" is an important
contribution to contemporary debate and a necessary corrective to
one of its main tendencies. In very readable prose, Muthu
demonstrates that the characterization of Enlightenment humanism as
Eurocentric and exclusionary does not fit the three very important
thinkers examined, and indeed that Enlightenment humanism provides
valuable resources for rethinking moral, social, and political
theory today."--Thomas A. McCarthy, Northwestern University
"Through close readings of Diderot, Kant, and Herder, Muthu
analyzes an anti-imperialist strand in eighteenth century political
thought. He sees thesethinkers as providing a novel view of what it
means to be human: 'humanity as cultural agency, ' that is,
membership in diverse social units with distinctive practices and
beliefs. From Muthu's emphasis upon the thick notion of culture
shared by these authors, he derives general arguments for human
worth and respect, and rejects facile indictments of 'The
Enlightenment' or 'The Enlightenment Project.'"--Melvin Richter,
Hunter College
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