Includes bibliographical references (p. [336]-364) and index.

West and non-West -- Western rationality and postcolonialism -- Rati onality, theory and thinking -- The problem -- At home -- Abroad -- Ide ntities -- Who are we? -- Who are the 'others' ? -- Why is the West mor e 'advanced'? -- Why is the non-West a 'threat'? -- Ideas -- Individual -- Society -- Freedom -- Faith -- Market -- Change -- Interpretations -- To think is to theorise -- To theorise is to explain -- To explain i s to act -- To act is to think (again) -- Epilogue: Three questions -- Secularism -- Human rights -- Sovereignty.

"In this radical new book, Patrick Chabal addresses the crucial issu e of why the manner in which we in the West approach key political, soc ial, and economic issues in today's globalized world - our traditional assumptions about "Western rationality" - is fatally constrained by an overly deterministic tradition of thought and enquiry. Presenting such provocative questions as "is it a good idea to build mosques in Europe ?" and '"s Beckham the new black icon?", Chabal explores why this is th e case and how the "challenges" of the non-West - both in terms of what is happening in regions such as Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the M iddle East as well as how the non-West is present in our own societies - ought to make us fundamentally re-think how we approach, explain, and attempt to "manage our world." How, ultimately, it should lead to the end of Western conceit."--Publisher's website.