fbpx
America and the Art of the Possible: Restoring National Vitality in an Age of Decay
Christopher Buskirk
Between 1920 and 1950, America saw an unprecedented expansion of… Read more
Why Liberalism Failed
Patrick Deneen
Of the three dominant ideologies of the twentieth century—fascism, communism,… Read more
Colonialism
Nigel Biggar
A new assessment of the West’s colonial record. In the… Read more
The Case Against the Sexual Revolution
Louise Perry
Ditching the stuffy hang-ups and benighted sexual traditionalism of the… Read more
Separation of Church and State
Philip Hamburger
In a powerful challenge to conventional wisdom, Philip Hamburger argues… Read more

More Books »

Primal Screams: How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics (2019)

Mary Eberstadt

Who am I? The question today haunts every society in the Western world.

Legions of people—especially the young—have become unmoored from a firm sense of self. To compensate, they join the ranks of ideological tribes spawned by identity politics and react with frenzy against any perceived threat to their group.

As identitarians track and expose the ideologically impure, other citizens face the consequences of their rancor: a litany of “isms” run amok across all levels of cultural life; the free marketplace of ideas muted by agendas shouted through megaphones; and a spirit of general goodwill warped into a state of perpetual outrage.

How did we get here? Why have we divided against one another so bitterly? In Primal Screams, acclaimed cultural critic Mary Eberstadt presents the most provocative and original theory to come along in recent years. The rise of identity politics, she argues, is a direct result of the fallout of the sexual revolution, especially the collapse and shrinkage of the family.

As Eberstadt illustrates, humans from time immemorial have forged their identities within the structure of kinship. The extended family, in a real sense, is the first tribe and first teacher. But with its unprecedented decline across a variety of measures, generations of people have been set adrift and can no longer answer the question Who am I? with reference to primordial ties. Desperate for solidarity and connection, they claim membership in politicized groups whose displays of frantic irrationalism amount to primal screams for familial and communal loss.

Written in her impeccable style and with empathy rarely encountered in today’s divisive discourse, Eberstadt’s theory holds immense explanatory power that no serious citizen can afford to ignore. The book concludes with three incisive essays by Rod Dreher, Mark Lilla, and Peter Thiel, each sharing their perspective on the author’s formidable argument.

Purchase the Book