Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire

Regulating Aversion examines how liberal tolerance discourse functions as a form of cultural and political power in contemporary Western societies. The book analyzes tolerance as a governing practice that marks both the tolerant and the tolerated while reinforcing existing power structures. Brown traces how tolerance became a central feature of liberal democratic societies and explores its role in managing differences across religion, sexuality, ethnicity, and culture. She investigates tolerance discourse through case studies including the Museum of Tolerance, post-9/11 political rhetoric, and multicultural education initiatives. The text challenges conventional understandings of tolerance as a universal good by revealing its operations as a tool of governance and subject formation. Through engagement with political theory, cultural criticism, and concrete examples, Brown demonstrates how tolerance discourse can depoliticize social conflicts while reinforcing cultural hierarchies. The work raises fundamental questions about power, difference, and democracy in an age of increasing diversity and persistent inequality. It offers a critical framework for understanding how liberal societies manage social differences through seemingly neutral discourses of acceptance.

Readers describe this academic work as dense but thought-provoking in its critique of liberal tolerance discourse. The analysis resonates with those interested in political theory and cultural studies. What readers liked: - Deep examination of how tolerance reinforces power structures - Clear examples from contemporary politics - Strong theoretical framework building on Foucault - Valuable insights for activism and policy work What readers disliked: - Complex academic language limits accessibility - Some arguments feel repetitive - Could use more concrete solutions - Length of theoretical sections Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (87 ratings) Amazon: 3.7/5 (6 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Makes you question assumptions about liberal tolerance in ways that stick with you" - Goodreads reviewer "Important ideas buried in unnecessarily complicated prose" - Amazon reviewer "Changed how I think about multiculturalism policies" - Goodreads reviewer

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📚 The book examines how "tolerance" can actually be used as a tool of power and governance, rather than purely as a virtue. 🎓 Wendy Brown is a political theorist at UC Berkeley who has significantly influenced feminist and critical theory through her work on neoliberalism and democracy. ⚖️ Published in 2006, the book challenges the post-9/11 discourse of tolerance, revealing how it often masks underlying power relations and cultural superiority. 🔍 Brown draws connections between liberal tolerance discourse and colonial practices, showing how tolerance can be used to mark certain groups as "others" who need to be tolerated. 🌍 The work builds on Michel Foucault's concept of governmentality to show how tolerance operates as a form of political power in modern liberal democracies.