WEST: A NEW HISTORY OF AN OLD IDEA (HB)

A radical new account of how the idea of the West has shaped our history, told through the stories of fourteen fascinating lives. In an epic sweep through the ages, prize-winning archaeologist and historian Naoise Mac Sweeney charts the history of the widely held idea that Western Civilisation is a golden thread, leading through the centuries from classical antiquity to the countries of the modern West. She reveals how this particular version of Western history was invented, how it has been used to justify imperialism and racism, and why it is no longer ideologically fit for purpose today.