It seems that the demands of identity define world politics today. Anti-immigrant populism, the upsurge of politicized Islam, the fractious environment of many college campuses, and the re-emergence of white nationalism–all these are rooted in challenges to the universal recognition that is the basis of liberal democracy. Too many now gravitate towards restrictive forms of recognition based on nation, religion, sect, race or ethnicity. In this urgent and necessary book, author and public intellectual Francis Fukuyama traces the development of the idea of identity from Plato, through Locke and Rousseau to feminism and modern gender politics. He draws on this history to deliver a sharp warning: unless we forge a universal understanding of human dignity, we are doomed to endure continual conflict.