New Books Network Hamid Dabashi, "After Savagery: Gaza, Genocide, and the Illusion of Western Civilization" (Haymarket, 2025)
Oct 15, 2025
Hamid Dabashi, a distinguished professor and cultural critic, dives into his provocative book, exploring the moral and philosophical crises of the West through the lens of Gaza. He critiques the Eurocentrism of the Frankfurt School, arguing for a broader understanding of colonial history. Dabashi connects the Holocaust with other genocides, advocating for a universal perspective while honoring specific narratives. He emphasizes the power of art and aesthetics in shaping human experience and hopes for a future that embraces Palestinian concepts like Nakba and Intifada.
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Gaza As Moral Ground Zero
- Hamid Dabashi frames Gaza as the moral ground-zero that exposes the failure of modern Western civilization's moral claims.
- He argues any genuine recovery of human universality must start from confronting the destruction and dehumanization in Gaza.
Critical Theory's Colonial Blind Spot
- Dabashi critiques the Frankfurt School for Eurocentric blind spots despite being shaped by it himself.
- He argues thinkers like Adorno and Habermas failed to integrate colonial histories into Holocaust-derived reflection.
Transcending Hierarchies Of Suffering
- Dabashi seeks to bring the Jewish Holocaust and Palestinian suffering into a shared moral frame without diminishing either.
- He rejects tribalist hierarchies of suffering and calls for a universal ethic that values all lives equally.
