Michael Ignatieff - Definition and Overview

Michael Ignatieff (born 1947) is a noted Canadian scholar and novelist. He is the son of Canadian diplomat George Ignatieff.

Michael went to Upper Canada College secondary school and then studied political science at University College in the University of Toronto. There he met fellow student (and later Premier of Ontario) Bob Rae, who became a longtime close friend. After Toronto, Ignatieff and Rae both went to Oxford University where they studied under the liberal theorist Isaiah Berlin.

Of Russian descent, Ignatieff is perhaps best known for his Russian Album which discussed the history of his family in the context of Russian history. He is a noted scholar and has written frequently on human rights issues. He is currently teaching at Harvard University.

He is a world-renowned expert on Middle Eastern affairs and has advised many of the world's leaders. He also writes fiction, his most recent publication being the well-received Charlie Johnson in the Flames.

Works:

• The Needs of Strangers - 1984
• The Russian Album - 1987 (winner of the 1987 Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction)
• Asya - 1991
• Scar Tissue - 1993
• Blood and Belonging: Journeys Into the New Nationalism - 1994
• Warrior's Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience - 1997
• Isaiah Berlin: A Life - 1998
• Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond - 2000
• The Rights Revolution - 2000
• Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry - 2001
• The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror - 2004