Fear of Small Numbers

Arjun Appadurai is the John Dewey Professor in the Social Sciences at The New School, where he is also Senior Advisor for Global Initiatives. His books include Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization and the collection Globalization, also published by Duke University Press. He is a cofounder of the journal Public Culture, founder of the nonprofit PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action, and Research) in Mumbai, cofounder and codirector of ING (Interdisciplinary Network on Globalization), and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has served as a consultant or advisor to a wide range of public and private organizations, including the Ford, Rockefeller, and MacArthur foundations; UNESCO; the World Bank; and the National Science Foundation.

“Arjun Appadurai is already known as the author of striking new formulations which have greatly illuminated contemporary global developments, notably in Modernity at Large. In this new book, he tackles the most burning and perplexing problems of collective violence which beset us today. The book is alive with new and original ideas, essential food for thought not just for scholars, but for all concerned with these issues.”-Charles Taylor, author of Modern Social Imaginaries “In this book, Appadurai follows up Modernity at Large with a look into the seamy side of globalization. Analyzing the growing inequalities and endemic violence of the past decade, he still sees signs of hope in less noticed trends of ‘globalization from below.’ These are important new thoughts from an influential thinker of our times.”-Partha Chatterjee, Director, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, and Professor of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York “Fear of Small Numbers makes engaging reading. . . . The book provides a fine introduction to the conjunction of globalization, violence, and identity politics. Not overburdened with jargon or scholarly references, the book is accessible to readers both within and outside of academia and to an undergraduate audience. It will interest anthropologists, political scientists, policymakers, and students of conflict resolution and globalization.” - Michelle Ruth Gamburd (American Anthropologist) “Fear of Small Numbers will appeal to a sophisticated audience of professionals and college students, and the essay format makes it accessible to a general adult reading audience. . . . This book does stand out in the literature on globalization in developing and applying explanations for the behavior of key actors.” - Michael A. Morris (Perspectives on Political Science) “Appadurai’s Fear of Small Numbers is an important contribution to the study of one of the most harmful aspects of modernity, violence against minorities. . . . “[It is] groundbreaking both for social theory and for political action. Even its questionable assertions inspire reflection on important issues. I highly recommend this book to all people interested in the fate of the contemporary world.” - Laura Pearl (Comparative Studies in Society and History) “Appadurai’s book is full of powerful insights both about globalization and about modern communal violence, especially in South Asia.” - Kwame Anthony Appiah (Common Knowledge) “Due to its provocative character, the 137 pages of Appadurai's essay make it an excellent starting point for generating ideas for term papers in classes on globalization, genocide, ethnocide, or terrorism. Appadurai's clear, stylish writing means that even lower division undergraduates should have little difficulty generating thoughtful theses from this rich text.” - Brien Hallett (Peace & Change)

• Preface ix1. From Ethnocide to Ideocide 12. The Civilization of Clashes 153. Globalization and Violence 354. Fear of Small Numbers 495. Our Terrorists, Ourselves 876. Grassroots Globalization in the Era of Ideocide 115Bibliography 139Index 143