>
>Utopian Legacies: A History of Conquest and Oppression
>in the Western World, by John C. Mohawk. Clear Light
>Publishers, Santa Fe, NM. 287 pp. paperback 14.95
>
> From the book jacket:
>
>Western civilization embodies a tragic paradox. The most savage
>behaviors - from ethnic cleansing to enslavement and genocide -
>are deeply rooted in the highest aspirations of the Western world.
>Religions that preach love have been used to justify bloody
>massacres, and utopian ideals have led to the annihilation of
>groups believed to stand in the way of "progress" toward an
>ideal society.
>
>In a gripping narrative, John Mohawk examines Western history
>in light of the patterns of utopian thinking that have rationalized
>religious wars, subjugation of Indigenous peoples, genocide, slavery,
>plunder, and campaigns of world conquest from the time of the
>ancient Greeks to the present day. Mohawk argues that persecution,
>oppression, and intolerance will continue until humanity embraces
>a pluralistic outlook, which offers the only hope for peace and
>understanding among the peoples of the world.
>
>"John Mohawk presents us with a major philosophical analysis
>of Western history by examining the manner in which lofty goals
>become practical programs that are the antithesis of the original
>vision. We see that we face two major obstacles in affirming
>the rights of all human beings to basic consideration: the Western
>philosophical framework itself and the peculiarly American
>version of that worldview. This is a work that everyone should
>take seriously."
> Vine Deloria, Jr. - Professor of History & Religious
> Studies, University of Colorado at Boulder, author of Custer
> Died for Your Sins and God is Red.
>
>"John Mohawk presents a provocative analysis of the origins of
>the many skeletons in the closet of Western political and religious
>movements. From the Roman legions to the Holocaust to the World
>Trade Organization, dreams of 'Utopia' give access to excess."
> Chief Oren R. Lyons, Director of Native American Studies, State
> University of New York at Buffalo
>
>John C. Mohawk is a member of the Seneca Nation at
>Cattaraugus, New York. An Associate Professor of History,
>he teaches in the American Studies Department at the State
>University of New York at Buffalo. He edited Exiled in the
>Land of the Free (Clear Light) and A Basic Call to Conscious-
>ness, and he is the author of contributed chapters as well
>as articles in a wide range of publications. He is the founder
>of the journal Akwesasne Notes.
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