The Hidden Handshake - by Ales Debeljak (Paperback)

About the Book

The Hidden Handshake uses four distinct, yet intertwined essays to address the questions surrounding our notions of citizenship, national identity, and cosmopolitan belonging. The violent disintegration of Yugoslavia and the undercurrent of EU enlargement stand out as two contrasting movements that highlight the importance of having a national identification while also defying it to avoid both the rigidity of nationalist exclusivism and the blithe nonsense of "global citizenship."

Book Synopsis

The Hidden Handshake uses four distinct, yet intertwined essays to address the questions surrounding our notions of citizenship, national identity, and cosmopolitan belonging. The violent disintegration of Yugoslavia and the undercurrent of EU enlargement stand out as two contrasting movements that highlight the importance of having a national identification while also defying it to avoid both the rigidity of nationalist exclusivism and the blithe nonsense of 'global citizenship.' Through the exploration of sociohistorical material and artistic visions as well as the author's layered identity as a Slovene, a Yugoslav, a Central European, and a European, Ale_ Debeljak tries to show that it is possible to remain faithful to geography, history, and community even as one fosters links to global cultural movements. Not surprisingly, the book itself shares some of this hybrid identity. It uses not only theoretical concepts and empirical data, but also historical sketches on art, national life, and society, along with poetic autobiographical reminiscences and personal anecdotes. Ultimately, the book calls for an adoption of liberal nationalism, which is commensurate with democratic order, and for a more ecumenical understanding of artistic visions that does not discriminate on the grounds of one's place of origin.

Review Quotes

"the book is full of interesting insights into the human condition of multiple identities..." --H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online

"A passionate, poignantly argued, and elegantly written contribution to the ongoing debate on the major cultural and political tensions in post-Cold War Europe. In a remarkably nuanced way, Debeljak proposes an original alternative to both atomizing individualism and stifling collectivism. Lucidly situated between memory and yearning, this book is a thought-provoking manifesto for diversity, tolerance, and an inclusive liberal vision of patriotism." --Vladimir Tismaneanu, University of Maryland, author of Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political History, University Of Maryland

"At once cosmopolitan and impassioned, lucid and lyrical, Ale? Debeljak is the perfect philosopher of the new dispensation. His sense of history is deep and considered, his cultural intuitions are astute, and his balanced prose is a delight. These essays come at us bearing the gifts of educated sensibility." --Sven Birkerts, Harvard University

"Ale? Debeljak, one of the leading Central European poets and public intellectuals, gives an intriguing account of the historical and societal forces shaping the cultures of the European East in the context of EU enlargement. But he looks to the future as well, making an original and elegantly wrought plea for concentric circles of identity to encompass the multitude of overlapping identities that is contemporary Europe. Here is that rare bird: a social thinker who writes with passion and panache." --Michael Henry Heim, University Of California, Los Angeles

"An outward expression of deeply held and felt anxieties concerning how one should try and find their place in the world around them. It is poetry in prose and, as such, a relaxing read that invites each of its readers to look deep inside themselves to discover what Debeljak has already dicovered for himself." --Journal of International Relations and Development

"By birth, nationality, and education, no one could be better qualified that the author to discuss the emergence of Slovenian patriotism and nationalism in competition and confrontation with Yugoslavism as nurtured by royal Yugoslavia, Titoism, and their descendents. All of this is masterfully debated, keeping an eye on the long- and short-range historical background, including President Wilson's demolition of Mitteleuropa at Versailles with its many unforseen consequences." --Choice Reviews

About the Author

Ale_ Debeljak is the director of the Center for Cultural and Religious Studies at the School of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.