The Lies that Bind is an important book about an obviously important topic. Not many topics are discussed as often as identity but Kwame Appiah is still able to bring a fresh perspective to the subject all the while writing with clarity and in a style which can be understood by academics and non-academics alike. I happen to disagree with many of the conclusions but I will try to focus this review more on what the author wanted to say and less on my particular reactions.
Appiah first recognizes the enormous importance given to issues of identity in the modern world. These identities— whether racial, religious, national or cultural—tend to be viewed through an essentialist lens: they are real things that express themselves in individuals.
Appiah rightly dismantles the essentialist account. Instead he offers his own theory that identities are merely labels which correspond with certain expected behaviors and certain expected treatment by others. One can try to change these norms but the labels are shared by a wider community and so ultimately one must persuade the wider public that a change in attitude is necessary. (A recent example of this is society’s change in attitude towards homosexuals.)
To accomplish this dismantling Appiah advances example upon example of the fluidity of identity labels. While gender may be appear to be binary there are in fact many intersex people. While we tend to view religions as creeds there are many different beliefs within one community. And while people do have different skin colors there is no such thing as a race.
The problem with this dismantling is that Appiah oversimplifies the construction of these identities. While genetic aberrations may occur that make some people not fully biologically male or female this doesn’t prove that gender is a mere label anymore than any other genetic malfunction causes humanity to lack a certain characteristic. And while, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation, many churches began stressing their respective creeds, the example of many beliefs within one faith community does not prove that there are no core teachings any more than the fact that libertarians disagree on drug legalization proves that libertarians do not have an essential belief towards limited government. Finally, the idea that race as reported by the census bureau is largely a social construct does not mean that genetic differences don’t exist between different peoples around the world that can partially explain differences in culture.
In short, while not an essentialist, I simply don’t agree that all identities are merely labels with no core meaning whatsoever. While sympathetic to Appiah’s defense of those marginalized by identity, I do not believe that all identities are lies which bind. Some identities are meaningful though Appiah’s deconstructions are worth considering before opting for a very rigid notion of identity.
Wonderfully written with a sincere effort to provoke thought and better the world I do recommend this book to all even though I must disagree with some of its major conclusions.
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
unravels strands of race, culture, gender and class which combine to create identity
Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2021
Ruth
inspiring, thought-provoking book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2019