Civilization & Its Discontented

In the three extended essays of Civilization and Its Discontented, John Laffey explores various notions of "civilization" and the uses to which they are put.

From the appearance of the word in the late 18th century, to the eve of the publication in 1930 of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents, the first essay focuses on its varying definitions over time.

The second essay is concerned with those relegated to civilization's margins or cast beyond its pale once it had emerged as a hegemonic ...