Worth dying for : the power and politics of flags

Title:

Author:

Marshall, Tim, 1959-

ISBN:

9781783963034

Personal Author:

Marshall, Tim, 1959-

Edition:

Revised and updated edition.

Publication Date:

2017

Physical Description:

297 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 20 cm

General Note:

Previous edition: 2016.

Abstract:

Flags have been the visual representation of our hopes and our destinies. We wave them. Burn them. March under their colours. And still, in the 21st century, we die for them. Flags fly at the UN, they fly on the Arab street, they fly from front porches in Texas. They represent the politics of high power and the politics of the mob. The power of flags runs a lot deeper than we often realise. Many have hidden histories that still inform the present, representing what a nation thinks it is, or wants to be. The world is a confusing place right now and we need to understand the symbols, old and new, that people are rallying round. From the renewed sense of nationalism in China, to troubled identities in Europe and the US, to the carefully constructed flag of Islamic State, Tim Marshall unravels the past and present to provide insight into the symbols that continue to unite and divide us.

Subject Term:

Flags -- Political aspects.

Emblems, National -- Political aspects.

Symbolism.

Society.

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Shelf Number	Material Type	Item Barcode	Status
Searching... Kensington Central Library	306.2	Book	30116021192222	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Paddington Library	SOC 306.2	Book	30117803445127	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"An engagingly written, veritable page-turner. Whether the topic is ethnic identity, Japanese imperialism, Panamanian shipping law or the defeat of Nazism, flags speak volumes about our human condition" -- Lawrence Joffe, Jewish Chronicle

"A fascinating tour of the world's ensigns, their histories and meanings ... a sobering lesson in just how silly we human beings can be" --Daily Mail

"Insightful and entertaining ... a truly fascinating book that feels all the more considered and urgent in today's world of Brexit, Trump, China and ISIS"--Dan Lewis, Wanderlust magazine

For thousands of years flags have represented our hopes and dreams. In nine chapters (covering the USA, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, international flags and flags of terror), Tim Marshall draws on more than twenty-five years of global reporting experience to reveal the histories, the power and the politics of the symbols that unite us - and divide us.