A lively and controversial exploration of ideas of the self in the western cultural tradition from the Renaissance to the present. Highly esteemed contributors analyse differing models of personal identity from a variety of perspectives.

Rewriting the Self is an exploration of ideas of the self in the western cultural tradition from the Renaissance to the Present. The contributors analyse differing religious, philosophical, psychological, political, psychoanalytical and literary models of personal identity. They examine these models from a number of viewpoints, including the history of ideas, contemporary gender politics, and post-modernist literary theory. Rewriting the Self offers a challenge to the received version of the 'ascent of western man'. Lively and controversial, the book broaches big questions in an accessible way. Rewriting the Self arises from a seminar series held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. The contributors include prominent academics from a range of disciplines.

`..astonishing assembly of essays on ideas of the self,..' - The Guardian`The essays are of uneven quality, but the collection is full of provocative insights..' - Terry McCarthy'On the whole the editor has managed well to provide a healthy balance between 'overview' discussions and more specific analyses. The subject matter is uniformly interesting and contributors make a habit of raising stimulating isues.' - History Review