Bøger i Provocations Series serien

Provocations is a ground-breaking new series of short polemics composed by some of the most intriguing voices in contemporary culture and edited by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. Sharp, intelligent and controversial, Provocations provides insightful contributions to the most vital discussions in society today.

Race and racism remain an inescapable part of the lives of black people. Daily slights, often rooted in fears and misperceptions of the 'other', still damage lives. But does race matter as much as it used to? Many argue that the post-racial society is upon us and racism is no longer a block on opportunity - Kurt Barling doubts whether things are really that simple. Ever since, at the age of four, he wished for 'blue eyes and blond hair', skin colour has featured prominently as he, like so many others, navigated through a childhood and adolescence in which 'blackness' defined and dominated so much of social discourse. But despite the progress that has been made, he argues, the 'R' word is stubbornly resilient. In this powerful polemic, Barling tackles the paradoxes at the heart of anti-racism and asks whether, by adopting the language of the oppressor to liberate the oppressed, we are in fact paralysing ourselves within the false mythologies inherited from raciology, race and racism. Can society escape this so-called 'race-thinking' and re-imagine a Britain that is no longer 'Black' and 'White'? Is it yet possible to step out of our skins and leave the colour behind?

A passionate argument for press freedom based on five principles that ensure today's media works honestly in the open for society at large.

Islam has been corrupted. A virulent strain of the religion manifests itself in bloodthirsty mutations such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and the terrifying spectre of ISIS. But behind the atrocities and turmoil lie many different versions and visions of Islam, each struggling to survive in a rapidly changing world.Ziauddin Sardar, with inimitable wit and intelligence, chronicles the diversity and richness of Islam and, in doing so, answers a host of frequently asked questions:Is Islam inherently violent and misogynistic?Why do young men and women choose to join the jihadi caliphate?What part should Muhammad's teachings play in our own times?Islam Beyond the Violent Jihadis argues for a pluralistic and reflective religion with a distinguished past - but one that appears to have been wrenched from its noble origins by rigid fundamentalism. In examining how we have nourished the rise of Islamic jihadi groups, Sardar urges us all to work together to preserve the sanity of our world.

Masculinity, it appears, is in crisis. Diminished by feminists, mocked by their peers and ridiculed by the media, it seems not a week goes by when men are not being accused of being too violent, too stupid or too sexual.The world in which men roamed the planet with an innate sense of entitlement, comfortable in their role in a society that deemed them the stronger, smarter, intrinsically superior sex, has been replaced with one filled with 'manxiety', where men feel slighted by the people they work for (or don't), by the friends they feel they can't possibly compete with and by the women they date.With typical wit and unrestrained perspicacity, Dylan Jones explores the myriad reasons that men appear to be in a perpetual state of stress, wondering where they fit into a world that seemingly no longer has any use for them.Could it be time for a men's movement, he asks, something that encourages men to 'fight back' and brings them back into the fold? Or are men simply over-reacting to a welcome redressing of the balance of the sexes? Should men just get over themselves, dust off that old bravado and, well, man up?