The problematics of openness: Cosmopolitanism and race in Teju Cole’s Open City

Abstract

ABSTRACT Teju Cole’s novel Open City holds up to scrutiny the consequences of the traumatic events of the September 11 terrorist attacks, specifically the Twin Towers in New York City. In a post-9/11 scenario, the limitations of the goals, claims, and outcomes of globalization and cosmopolitanism become manifest, especially when they intersect with the categories of race and religious faith. Ultimately, Open City invites an exploration of the metaphor of openness. The title’s military reference may declare openness, but physical cordons, barriers, police checkpoints, and detention centers constitute an array of security measures designed to barricade the Western metropolis against a perceived Other. The city is not unproblematically open.