Modernity as exile

Modernity as exile tackles the themes of migration, displacement, and multiculturalism in the modern world. Throughout John Berger's writings, whether an art, literature or sociology, the figure of the stranger signals both the pain of uprooting and the insight gained from 'another way of seeing'. Nikos Papastergiadis uses this figure to argue that 'exile' is not merely a political or social fact, but is an inner condition, central to the postmodern self. He analyses the cultural dynamics that connect migration and exile, not simply as the negative consequence of contemporary culture, but as its fundamental driving force. Peoples are displaced not only by wars and famine but by economics, tourism, global telecommunications. How this explodes our notions of home, of community and our sense of belonging is the central question addressed by this provocative and powerful book.