Societies across the Western world are being roiled by the unforeseen force of identity politics. From nations to individuals, “Who am I?” has become the most potent question of our time. Drawing from disparate sources including anthropology, sociology, popular culture, and research into animal behavior, this speech advances a new theory about the origins of today's frantic search for identity. It connects the growing obsession with self to the post-1960s fraying of familial ties, and makes the case that the increasingly emotive flight to collective identities is an unforeseen consequence of the sexual revolution.
Searching for Self:
The Non-Political Roots of Identity Politics
Presented by Mary Eberstadt
a First Things Lecture
Hosted by
WHEN: 7:00 pm Monday, September 30, 2019
WHERE:
University Avenue Church of Christ (map & directions)
1903 University Avenue
Austin, Texas 78705
For more information about Austin Graduate School of Theology, please visit:
Mary Eberstadt is a Senior Research Fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., and author of the new book Primal Screams: How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics. Her other books include It’s Dangerous to Believe, How the West Really Lost God, and Adam and Eve after the Pill. Mrs. Eberstadt’s writing has appeared in many magazines and journals including TIME, the Wall Street Journal, National Review, First Things, and The Weekly Standard. Her 2010 novel The Loser Letters, about a young woman in rehab struggling with atheism, was adapted for stage, and premiered at Catholic University in fall 2017. Seton Hall University awarded her an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 2014. During the Reagan administration, she was speechwriter to Secretary of State George Shultz, and a special assistant to Ambassador Jeane J. Kirkpatrick at the United Nations. Her work can be found on her website, maryeberstadt.com.
