Fear: An Alternative History of the World
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It’s been said that, after 9/11, the 2008 financial crash and the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re a more fearful society than ever before. Yet fear, and the panic it produces, have long been driving forces – perhaps the driving force – of world history: fear of God, of famine, war, disease, poverty, and other people. In Fear: An Alternative History of the World, Robert Peckham considers the impact of fear in history, as both a coercive tool of power and as a catalyst for social change.
Beginning with the Black Death in the fourteenth century, Peckham traces a shadow history of fear. He takes us through the French Revolution and the social movements of the nineteenth century to modern market crashes, Cold War paranoia and the AIDS pandemic, into a digital culture increasingly marked by uniquely twenty-first-century fears.
What did fear mean to us in the past, and how can a better understanding of it equip us to face the future? As Peckham demonstrates, fear can challenge as well as cement authority. Some crises have destroyed societies; others have been the making of them. Through the stories of the people and the moments that changed history, Fear: An Alternative History of the World reveals how fear and panic made us who we are.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Main edition (7 Sept. 2023), Profile Books |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 448 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1788167236 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1788167239 |
| Dimensions | 15.88 x 3.81 x 23.5 cm |
by Kirsty
What is fear? Or rather, how is fear weaponised within the world as a tool for change, prosperity or even adversity?
Robert Peckham takes a period of around 700 years to explore history through the unique lens of fear. Perhaps with more emphasis on the last 150 years or so, the author considers the place of contemporary fear and many theories such the understanding of our fear to be linked to the ancient feeling of our forbearers.
Topics of great debate are investigated rigorously including capitalism, politics, discrimination, the rise in terrorism and the effects on environmentalism with the ever-present connection of fear suggested as a catalyst within governments across the world.
Deeply thought-provoking in nature, this work urges the reader to re-evaluate the position of fear as a device within society.
Peckham’s narrative is smooth and easy to follow. He successfully takes an intricate philosophical topic that could have been too complex or overwhelming and made it accessible for the contemporary reader. An intensely fascinating read.
by Francesca Limerston
A turgid read that dwelt at length in excruciating detail on historical issues with no real helpful conclusions. It may well be that the book was too intellectual for me but I found much of it difficult to read and absorb
by Francesca Limerston
Loved this book!! Such a big and interesting theme – and it helps to put in perspective contemporary fears. The illustrations are brilliant as is the book’s cover. The book arrived promptly, too.