Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny

Abstract

In this brilliant short book, Amartya Sen argues that most of the conflicts in the contemporary world arise from individuals' notions of who they are, and which groups they belong to local, national, religious - which define themselves in opposition to others. Our identification with these groups determines, for example, which side we belong to in a war, and whether we are an object of hatred by others or a member of a privileged caste. If we are to overcome and resolve conflicts in our increasingly globalised world, we need to recognise that we all have multiple identities and that we share most of those identities with others than our differences make us distinct from them.