Civilized Rebels compares in depth four well-known literary and political figures, all of whom opposed arrogant regimes and became prisoners. Through comparative biographies of Oscar Wilde, Jean Améry, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi, it explores the long-term process of the retreat of the West from global hegemony since the late nineteenth century. Drawing on rich empirical materials to examine themes of forced displacement, war, poverty imprisonment and the threat of humiliation, it reveals how these highly civilized rebels had empathetic insights into the mind-sets of their opponents and a sophisticated understanding of how their own struggles fitted into the larger world picture.