A review by tiaelisabeth
Universality and Identity Politics by Todd McGowan

3.0

McGowan’s final chapter here is really fantastic and convincing, but the book stumbled to deliver me there with much confidence. McGowan convincingly argues that critics of universalism do not really take issue with the concept of universality, so much as its failure, or perversions of universality that are really a defence of particular identities (e.x. Nazism). This makes sense, but ultimately his arguments regarding why all identity politics are inherently dangerous and divisive feel weak and unreasoned (the old ‘slippery slope’ approach); it works much better when he focuses on why identity politics are ineffectual at making meaningful change, such as the false equivalence commonly made between diversity and anti-racism that allows racism to be covered up but not conquered. Again, the last chapter is really strong on this front and ultimately saves the project, for me, but I found myself vacillating between disagreement and agreement — almost by the paragraph — throughout much of the rest.