French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Appadurai, Geography of Anger - Violence in the Age of Globalization
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

Geography of Anger - Violence in the Age of Globalization
Arjun Appadurai
Françoise Bouillot (Translator)

Publication date: 18/03/2009; Publisher: Payot; Collection: Petite Bibliothèque Payot; ISBN: 978-2-228-90408-7; EAN: 9782228904087; Format: Pocket; Presentation: Paperback; No. of pages: 207 p.

The proliferation of violence is one of the defining characteristics of globalization. Most curiously, this violence often emanates from oppressed minorities—small groups that are nevertheless capable of rapidly altering international relations—and directly targets the nation-state. Today's world is full of angry Sikhs, Basques, Kurds, Chechens, Tamils, and other minorities preparing to form or join terrorist cells. For Appadurai, the ethnic hatreds driving this phenomenon do not stem from some primal fear, as is often assumed. Rather, they represent an effort to exorcise the anxiety generated by the uncertainties of identity, geography, and politics associated with globalization. From South Asia to Europe and the United States, the author subtly and powerfully examines the relationship between the geographically bounded nation-state and global terrorism, which is by its very nature deterritorialized.

Contents:

FROM ETHNOCIDE TO IDEOCIDE
THE CIVILIZATION OF CLASHES
VIOLENCE AND GLOBALIZATION
FEAR OF SMALL NUMBERS
OUR TERRORISTS, OURSELVES
GLOBALIZATION FROM BELOW IN THE AGE OF IDEOCIDE

Arjun Appadurai, an anthropologist, is a professor at the New School University in New York. He has published, with Editions Payot, Après le colonialisme: les conséquences culturelles de la globalisation.

Arjun Appadurai is a prominent figure in postcolonial studies and the anthropology of globalization, known for analyzing how cultural flows transcend national borders. In this work, he builds upon his previous research into the cultural consequences of globalization to address the rise of modern geopolitical violence. By introducing concepts like 'ideocide' and examining the 'fear of small numbers', Appadurai shifts the debate away from simplistic civilizational clashes. Instead, he contextualizes ethnic violence as a pathological response to the erosion of national sovereignty and the fluid, uncertain nature of globalized identities.

This essay is highly valuable for students and researchers in sociology, political science, and international relations who are seeking to understand the psychological and structural roots of contemporary terrorism. By exploring the tension between geographically bounded nation-states and deterritorialized global networks, the book helps readers make sense of how local minority struggles connect to global conflicts. Ultimately, Appadurai offers a critical framework for conceptualizing 'globalization from below' and finding alternative ways to address the systemic anxieties that threaten global security.