The DNA of Prejudice: On the One and the Many (Winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Social Change)

This remarkable book takes the reader through the many layers of meaning that accompany the word prejudice. By critically confronting the ways in which we think and speak about prejudice, Michael Eskin clears the path for a new understanding of prejudice as a concept, a phenomenon, and a lived experience. Combining analytical rigor with sound practical suggestions, this book speaks to a broad audience and will serve as a valuable companion for anyone who shares the author s passionate commitment to confronting and eradicating prejudice. An original, much needed (and overdue) philosophical work with important practical and political implications, not only for our own societies, but also for those who work cross-culturally, like diplomats. We encounter the issues Michael Eskin discusses in one form or another often it seems like every day. --Matthew G. Boyse, United States Consul General Sedulously argued, this thoughtful book attempts nothing less than a revalorization of prejudice its meaning, the way it manifests itself, and its effect on individuals (the prejudiced and those who feel the sting of it) as well as the world around them. It s an ambitious undertaking, deftly navigated by Michael Eskin, who cogently offers an entirely original framework for identifying prejudice and even confronting it. In an environment that has been optimistically (if naively) called postracial in which racial, gender, and ethnic divides appear to have as much poignant resolve as ever Eskin's important book offers a set of powerful pathways for comprehending and addressing a pernicious aspect of life that remains far too at home in the headlines, the rural backroads, and the chill of urban streets. --Jeffrey Rothfeder, former BusinessWeek, Time Inc., and Bloomberg News editor, and author of McIlhenny's Gold: How a Louisiana Family Built the Tabasco Empire and Every Drop for Sale: Our Desperate Battle over Water in a World About to Run Out ... a wonderful essay that excels both at analyzing the essence of prejudice and at providing a demonstration of the practice of philosophical thinking accessible to all with no requirement or knowledge of the history of philosophy. Highly recommended for all who have an interest in the topic of prejudice and/or philosophical thinking. --Jean-Paul Schmetz, CEO, Schmetzfunds & Ten Better Pages