Borders of the Mind

How Nations Invented Identity to Control the Masses

Elias Verren

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Hardback

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English

Vij Books
20 September 2025

Society & culture: general; Political structures: democracy; Public opinion & polls

What if everything you believed about where you belong-your identity, your homeland, your people-was a story someone needed you to believe?

This provocative and eye-opening book reveals how the very idea of ""us"" and ""them"" was invented by states to control the minds of millions. Through gripping history and sharp psychological insight, it shows how governments have used national identity manipulation, political control through belonging, and the emotional roots of nationalism to shape not just borders, but the deepest parts of our self-perception.

You'll discover how passports, myths, and schoolbooks became tools of power, how nations create enemies not out of necessity, but narrative. And how your sense of pride, fear, and loyalty may not be your own-but a design handed down through generations of control.

This is not just a book about politics. It's about you.

- Understand the real purpose behind identity and nationalism

- Learn how imagined communities were engineered-and why they still hold sway

- Explore the psychological machinery behind ""othering"" and mass obedience

- Begin to deconstruct national myths and reclaim authorship of your own identity

Perfect for readers of history, psychology, philosophy, and political thought, this book is for anyone who has ever wondered why we belong to nations-and what it would mean to live beyond them.

If you've sensed that something about your cultural identity doesn't quite feel like a choice... you're not alone. This book is your invitation to break the trance, question the script, and see beyond the psychological history of borders.

Because once you see the lines in your mind, you can begin to erase them.

By: Elias Verren
Imprint: Vij Books
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 395g
ISBN: 9789348738134
ISBN 10: 9348738135
Pages: 166
Publication Date: 20 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Elias Verren writes at the intersection of memory, myth, and power. A lifelong observer of how stories shape societies, he has spent years studying the hidden architecture of identity-how nations script our loyalties, our fears, and even our sense of self. Known for his emotionally charged prose and philosophical depth, Verren brings a rare blend of insight and clarity to topics often lost in academic abstraction. His work invites readers to question what they've been taught to believe, and to reclaim the authorship of their own minds. Borders of the Mind is his most personal and ambitious inquiry yet-a psychological and political excavation of the boundaries we mistake for truth.