Discourses of Civilizational Identity

Abstract

Civilization is a notoriously complex term the meaning of which has evolved and shifted across time and context (Arnason, 2001; Braudel, 1995; Mazlish, 2001). It has stood for many different ideas across history (Salter, 2002). In order to understand this complex term we often draw upon associated concepts, locating civilization in particular geographies, linking them with particular forms of society, economy, or with collective ways of thought (Braudel, 1995: 9–23). The term civilization therefore is often associated with concepts such as society, progress, development, religion, culture, empire, and even humanity. These associations suggest that in some respects the concept of civilization is synonymous with community; with societal evolution; with particular ontologies or intersubjective frameworks; with systems of governance; with the heritage of humankind. Yet at the same time, civilization remains a distinctive concept, first, in the breadth of its associated meanings, and second, in the way the concept suggests a blend of material and ideational dimensions of human existence (Braudel, 1980). Robert Cox expresses this in his definitions of civilizations as the fit between material conditions of existence and the intersubjective meanings (Cox, 2002: 4). Mehdi Mozaffari similarly chooses to define civilizations as a specific world vision realized through a historical formation (2002: 26).

I would like to thank Greg Fry, Hayward Alker, and the editors for their insights and comments on earlier drafts of this chapter.