The West: A New History of an Old Idea by Naoíse Mac Sweeney (Omnibus)

Historian Naoise Mac Sweeney delves into the lives of historical figures to explore and interrogate the received narrative and origins of 'the West'.

Is 'Plato to Nato' actually true? How has the myth of the West and its exclusively European origins been built and maintained? A brilliant and rigorous interpretation of history that reflects the diversity of ideas and figures in the West.

Using the lives of historical figures from ancient Greece to present day, historian Naoise Mac Sweeney interrogates the idea of the West and its claims to Greco-Roman lineage.

Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Patricia Cumper.

Read by Nina Sosanya.

Producer: Naomi Walmsley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2023.