In this provocative work, Touraine explores the question of how we might live together in a globalized society, inviting readers to rethink democracy.

Isn't the challenge of our current century to live together, equal and different at the same time? Globalization is mixing us all up, but not helping us understand each other, and when we seek refuge in our own identity, we inevitably end up rejecting the Other.
However, a solution is taking shape: each of us tries to combine their participation in a technological world with an affirmation of their cultural heritage and personality. This self-production is not achieved by a withdrawal from the world, but by fighting both against the domination of markets and community powers; by recognizing the right of the Other, as well as oneself, to be a Subject; and by putting democracy, the law, and schools at the service of each Subject's creative freedom.