t seems the only way we can understand the events in the world is to boil them down to a confrontation between the “West” and some anti-Western “other”. What consequences does this have? Matthew Dal Santo writes.
Is this “clash of civilisations” real or are we talking ourselves into it?
. . . . . .
In his famous and controversial Clash of Civilizations, Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington argued that the 21st century would be the era not of the nation-state but civilisations, transcending state borders and uniting in a common culture and shared values the energies and aspirations of diverse peoples and polities.
. . . . . . . .
Dal Santo argues that language matters. And Huntington wrote:
“The security of the world requires acceptance of global multi-culturality,”
I reckon the above article is worth reading and trying to think about what we want to accomplish with our “Western” values.
Auntie, Sister. Grandmother, Great-Grandmother,
Mother and Wife of German Descent
I've lived in Australia since 1959 together with my husband Peter. We have four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I started blogging because I wanted to publish some of my childhood memories. I am blogging now also some of my other memories. I like to publish some photos too as well as a little bit of a diary from the present time. Occasionally I publish a story with a bit of fiction in it. Peter, my husband, is publishing some of his stories under berlioz1935.wordpress.com
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3 thoughts on “About the ‘Clash of Civilisations’”
It could be the start of a discussion, no more. We ourselves see the “West” as too aggressive. They want to conquer all. The problem is, that one nation, the US, is dominating without us having the right to vote. We have no influence on the policies of the “West”. When the US are murdering (drone attacks) and plunder (buying up resources) we have to live with the consequences regardless. We are really team “West” and not Australia.
As a woman, I have never bought into patriarchal, super rational, authoritarian, anti-nature western thinking. I think male writers like Huntington need to get over the really bad habit of believing that women think exactly the same as they do. I’m also really sick of middle age males in white suits defining who I am and what I think. Or even worse giving themselves the right to decide what’s best for women and children. How dare they?
Thanks for commenting, Stuart. I must admit I really do not know anything about Huntington other than what it says in this article about civilisations. His observations about the clash of civilisations in the 21st century seem reasonable enough to me. It seems to me that there is a clash of civilisations happening right now. And maybe it has not all that much to do with religion either. How many people in our so called Christian Western culture are really Christians at heart? Fundamentalism to me looks more like a cult than a religion. I think all the great religions have similar spiritual values. We should compromise and accept each other. Death cults should of course not be accepted by people with open minds and open hearts. This is what I believe.
AuntyUta 
It could be the start of a discussion, no more. We ourselves see the “West” as too aggressive. They want to conquer all. The problem is, that one nation, the US, is dominating without us having the right to vote. We have no influence on the policies of the “West”. When the US are murdering (drone attacks) and plunder (buying up resources) we have to live with the consequences regardless. We are really team “West” and not Australia.
As a woman, I have never bought into patriarchal, super rational, authoritarian, anti-nature western thinking. I think male writers like Huntington need to get over the really bad habit of believing that women think exactly the same as they do. I’m also really sick of middle age males in white suits defining who I am and what I think. Or even worse giving themselves the right to decide what’s best for women and children. How dare they?
Thanks for commenting, Stuart. I must admit I really do not know anything about Huntington other than what it says in this article about civilisations. His observations about the clash of civilisations in the 21st century seem reasonable enough to me. It seems to me that there is a clash of civilisations happening right now. And maybe it has not all that much to do with religion either. How many people in our so called Christian Western culture are really Christians at heart? Fundamentalism to me looks more like a cult than a religion. I think all the great religions have similar spiritual values. We should compromise and accept each other. Death cults should of course not be accepted by people with open minds and open hearts. This is what I believe.