Naoíse Mac Sweeney on Redefining Our Understanding of “The West” | Amanpour & Company___7,756 views Sep 11, 2023 #amanpourpbs

 

7,756 views Sep 11, 2023 #amanpourpbs

The historical traditions and politics of the Western world have been shaped by what we know of our Greek and Roman origins.

• But historian Naoíse Mac Sweeney says the traditional "From Plato to NATO" understanding is misleading.
• Mac Sweeney joins the program to talk about her new book “The West.”

Originally aired on Sep 11, 2023  

www.upr.org

'The West' with Naoise Mac Sweeney on Wednesday's Access Utah

Tom Williams

4 - 5 minutes

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Published June 21, 2023 at 1:26 PM MDT

Naoise Mac Sweeney

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Penguin Random House

The concept of “the West” is present in every daily interaction you have, from entertainment and politics to world markets and world history. In her new book The West, historian Naoíse Mac Sweeney debunks the myths and origin stories that underpin the history we thought we knew. Told through fourteen figures who each played a role in the creation of the Western idea—from Herodotus, a mixed-race migrant, to Phylis Wheatley, an enslaved African American who became a literary sensation; and from Gladstone, with a private passion for epic poetry, to the medieval Arab scholar Al-Kindi—the subjects are a blend of unsung heroes and familiar faces viewed afresh.

Naoíse Mac Sweeney is professor of classical archaeology at the University of Vienna, having previously held posts at both Leicester and Cambridge Universities, and been a researcher at Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies. She has won numerous academic awards for her work on classical antiquity and origin myths, her previous book on Troy was shortlisted for a major prize, and she has appeared on BBC television and radio.

 

 

MYTHS & ORIGIN STORIES