The Inquisition Reconvenes w/ Darryl Cooper

The book delves into the 'unconsummated social courtship' between Jews and gentiles, focusing on the predicament of Jews caught between their traditional, intimate community (Yiddishkeit) and the formal, polite expectations of gentile society. Cuddihy argues that the fundamental cultural norm of modernity is the politeness and formality required in interactions with strangers, which posed significant challenges for Jews moving out of Eastern European shtetls into modern European societies. The book also examines how the theories of Freud, Marx, and Lévi-Strauss were influenced by their Jewish backgrounds and the struggle with assimilation.

In 'Submission', Michel Houellebecq presents a dystopian vision of France in 2022 where an Islamic party, led by the moderate Ben Abbas, comes to power in an alliance with the Socialists. The novel follows François, a middle-aged literature professor at the New Sorbonne University, who is an expert on J.K. Huysmans. As Islamic law is instituted, François is offered academic advancement on the condition that he converts to Islam. The book delves into themes of personal decadence, the decline of Western civilization, and the complexities of human happiness through submission. It is a darkly comic masterpiece that blends realism and fantasy, prompting reflections on the current cultural climate of the West and the validity of its liberal, atheistic project.