From Cannibals to Radicals

In this fascinating analysis, Roger Célestin examines the concept of exoticism from a historical and literary perspective. Through close readings of works by Montaigne, Diderot, Flaubert, Barthes, and Naipaul, Célestin examines the way these writers have challenged representations of cultural identity in their time. Célestin begins with a survey of previous treatments of exoticism in literature, philosophy, political theory, and anthropology. He then argues that the authors under study use exoti