CBC Books | CBC | Posted: March 1, 2017 8:25 PM | Last Updated: March 2, 2017
Jennifer Welsh
Image | BOOK COVER: The Return of History by Jennifer Welsh
In 1989, as the Berlin Wall crumbled, American political commentator Francis Fukuyama wrote a famous essay entitled "The End of History." He argued that the demise of the confrontation between communism and capitalism signalled the end of humanity's sociocultural and political evolution and the path toward a more peaceful world.
But a quarter of a century after Fukuyama's bold prediction, history has returned. The 21st century has not seen unfettered progress toward peace, but the reappearance of trends and practices many believed had been erased: arbitrary executions, attempts to annihilate ethnic and religious minorities, the starvation of besieged populations, invasion and annexation of territory, and the mass movement of refugees and displaced persons.
The 2016 Massey Lectures will illustrate and explain this return of history and will argue how the reappearance of things deemed "barbaric" or "medieval" has a modern twist. (From House of Anansi Press)
Media Audio | The Current : Liberal democracy on defensive as history returns with vengeance: Jennifer Welsh
Caption: After the fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall, it seemed to some thinkers we'd arrived at the "end of history." But it sure doesn't seem that way today. This year's Massey lecturer Jennifer Welsh shares her thoughts on The Return of History.
Media Video | Ideas : The 2016 CBC Massey Lectures: The Return of History
Caption: In 1989 American thinker Francis Fukuyama suggested that Western liberal democracy was the endpoint of our political evolution.
Our recent history, filled with terrorism and war, rising inequity and the mass flight of populations -- suggests that we've failed to create any sort of global formula for lasting peace and social equity.
In the 2016 CBC Massey Lectures, Jennifer Welsh explores how pronouncements about the "end of history" may have been premature.
Media Video | Ideas : The 2016 CBC Massey Lectures: The Return of Barbarism
Caption: In 1989 American thinker Francis Fukuyama suggested that Western liberal democracy was the endpoint of our political evolution.
Our recent history, filled with terrorism and war, rising inequity and the mass flight of populations -- suggests that we've failed to create any sort of global formula for lasting peace and social equity.
In the 2016 CBC Massey Lectures, Jennifer Welsh explores how pronouncements about the "end of history" may have been premature.
Media Video | Ideas : The 2016 CBC Massey Lectures: The Return of Mass Flight
Caption: In 1989 American thinker Francis Fukuyama suggested that Western liberal democracy was the endpoint of our political evolution.
Our recent history, filled with terrorism and war, rising inequity and the mass flight of populations -- suggests that we've failed to create any sort of global formula for lasting peace and social equity.
In the 2016 CBC Massey Lectures, Jennifer Welsh explores how pronouncements about the "end of history" may have been premature.
Media Video | Ideas : The 2016 CBC Massey Lectures: The Return of Cold War
Caption: In 1989 American thinker Francis Fukuyama suggested that Western liberal democracy was the endpoint of our political evolution.
Our recent history, filled with terrorism and war, rising inequity and the mass flight of populations -- suggests that we've failed to create any sort of global formula for lasting peace and social equity.
In the 2016 CBC Massey Lectures, Jennifer Welsh explores how pronouncements about the "end of history" may have been premature.