Of Fear and Strangers, George Makari
Of Fear and Strangers, George Makari
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Of Fear and Strangers
A History of Xenophobia

Author: George Makari

Narrator: Paul Heitsch

Unabridged: 12 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/13/2021

Synopsis

A startling work of historical sleuthing and synthesis, Of Fear and Strangers reveals the forgotten histories of xenophobia—and what they mean for us today.By 2016, it was impossible to ignore an international resurgence of xenophobia. What had happened? Looking for clues, psychiatrist and historian George Makari started out in search of the idea’s origins. To his astonishment, he discovered an unfolding series of never-told stories. While a fear and hatred of strangers may be ancient, he found that the notion of a dangerous bias called “xenophobia” arose not so long ago.Coined by late nineteenth-century doctors and political commentators and popularized by an eccentric stenographer, xenophobia emerged alongside Western nationalism, colonialism, mass migration, and genocide. In this groundbreaking work, the author investigates these forces alongside the writings of figures such as Joseph Conrad, Albert Camus, and Richard Wright, and innovators like Walter Lippmann, Sigmund Freud, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Frantz Fanon. In the end, Of Fear and Strangers pulls together the most critical contributions, to help us comprehend the “New Xenophobia” we now face.

About George Makari

George Makari is a psychiatrist, historian, and author of the award-winning book Of Fear and Strangers, as well as Revolution in Mind: The Creation of Psychoanalysis. He is director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute and professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.

About Paul Heitsch

Paul Heitsch has been narrating audiobooks since 2011, after having worked as a pianist, composer, recording engineer, producer, and sound designer for many years. His work is often cited for the authenticity he brings to the narrative and characters he portrays, as well as his versatility, and clear, smooth delivery.

Reviews

Goodreads review by 8stitches 9lives on August 23, 2021

Of Fear and Strangers is a startling work of historical sleuthing and synthesis which reveals the forgotten histories of xenophobia—and what they mean for us today. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst George Makari, the head of the department of history of psychiatry at Cornell who is also a historian, h......more

Goodreads review by Mehtap on December 29, 2023

Woher kommt Xenophobie, die Angst vor „Fremden“ und warum durchleben unterschiedliche Gesellschaften in unterschiedlichen Ländern dieselben „Ängste“. Dafür schaut George Makari in die Entwicklung der Geschichte und wie sich politisch und strukturell Xenophobie etabliert hat. Dabei spielen selbstvers......more

Goodreads review by Bulent2k2 on February 04, 2025

At least six stars! "Don't talk to strangers" -- the pervasive imperative from adults to children -- is just one piece of evidence of how far we have gone into an irrational amount of fear of "the other." We have forgotten that to them, we are "the other." Yes, paranoia is normalized in our culture.......more

Goodreads review by Gregory on January 20, 2022

Brexit and the 2016 U.S. election jolted psychiatrist George Makari into writing this wide-ranging, highly readable investigation of xenophobia. It’s organized in three parts: first, tracing the elusive origins of the term itself; next a deep dive inside the xenophobic mind; followed by a concluding......more

Goodreads review by Peter on September 21, 2021

Of Fear And Strangers is subtitled A History Of Xenophobia - which seems like a pretty timely subject and a very broad church indeed. It feels like a pretty universal axiom of human nature that we are predisposed to hate "the other", and as a psychologist I thought that this was the question Makari......more

Quotes

“[A] compelling story of racial and ethnic animosity.” Wall Street Journal

“By shedding light on the trajectory of xenophobia during its 150-year history, this skillfully written account helps point us towards ways to combat it.” Washington Post

“A fascinating if powerfully disturbing series of examples of stranger hatred (and exploitation) alongside the internal dissent such encounters have always prompted…All the material is enthralling." New York Times Book Review

“The author focuses less on its origins than on when the concept was labeled ‘phobic’—that is, when it became widely condemned…A timely and thorough investigation of a cultural plague.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Elegantly written, erudite, and often intriguing.”, Publishers Weekly

“Examines xenophobia from ancient times to the present.” Library Journal

“An innovative look at the idea of xenophobia.” Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times bestselling author

“With penetrating insight, he reveals the history of a grave weakness that is one of the wildest threats against coherent democracy and human kindness.” Andrew Solomon, New York Times bestselling author

“Makari makes an airtight case that an enhanced understanding of the concept ‘xenophobia’ can serve as a skeleton key that will help unlock many of the psychic terrors currently haunting our cognitive processes and social worlds.” Anthony Walton, author of Mississippi: An American Journey

Awards

  • New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
  • Bloomberg News Pick
  • Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
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