The Clash of Civilizations: a Summary of Samuel Huntington’s Controversial Political Analysis and Its Critics
POLI 100 - F10N01
Gabrielle Bishop
The Clash of Civilizations:
A Summary of Samuel Huntington’s controversial Political Analysis and its Critics
“Culture and cultural identities, which at the broadest level are civilizational identities, are shaping patterns of cohesion, disintegration, and conflict in the post-Cold War World” - Samuel Huntington
POLI 100 - F10N01!
Gabrielle Bishop
In a 1993 article published in Foreign Affairs, Harvard Professor of Government and Political Scientist Samuel Huntington made a prediction for the 21st century that would go on to be both disputed and supported by experts around the globe. As the Iron Curtain of ideology of the Cold War had fallen, Huntington theorized that a new “Velvet Curtain” of culture would rise1. While the Cold War divided the world up into “communist and democratic” societies, the 21st century would feature conflicts between “clashing civilizations”, whose disputes would be rooted in various ethnic, cultural, and/or religious differences 2. In 1996, Huntington wrote a book titled: “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order”, which expanded upon these points. Some were intrigued, others, extremely offended. But, few could ignore the controversial predictions Huntington made about the future of global politics.
Huntington divides “The Clash of Civilizations” into five parts, the first of which is titled as:
“Part One: A World of Civilizations”. In this chapter, he identifies the six principal civilizations that make up the world, as well as two other “possible” civilizations3: 1. Sinic4: Includes China and the Chinese communities in South-East Asia. Vietnam and Korea are also in this group. 2. Japanese: Huntington stresses that Japanese civilization is very distinct, and does not necessarily fit in with other “Far Eastern” nations; having split off from China between 100 and 400 AD. 3. Hindu (Also referred to as “Indian” or “Indic”): Huntington notes that while there are
Gabrielle Bishop
The Clash of Civilizations:
A Summary of Samuel Huntington’s controversial Political Analysis and its Critics
“Culture and cultural identities, which at the broadest level are civilizational identities, are shaping patterns of cohesion, disintegration, and conflict in the post-Cold War World” - Samuel Huntington
POLI 100 - F10N01!
Gabrielle Bishop
In a 1993 article published in Foreign Affairs, Harvard Professor of Government and Political Scientist Samuel Huntington made a prediction for the 21st century that would go on to be both disputed and supported by experts around the globe. As the Iron Curtain of ideology of the Cold War had fallen, Huntington theorized that a new “Velvet Curtain” of culture would rise1. While the Cold War divided the world up into “communist and democratic” societies, the 21st century would feature conflicts between “clashing civilizations”, whose disputes would be rooted in various ethnic, cultural, and/or religious differences 2. In 1996, Huntington wrote a book titled: “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order”, which expanded upon these points. Some were intrigued, others, extremely offended. But, few could ignore the controversial predictions Huntington made about the future of global politics.
Huntington divides “The Clash of Civilizations” into five parts, the first of which is titled as:
“Part One: A World of Civilizations”. In this chapter, he identifies the six principal civilizations that make up the world, as well as two other “possible” civilizations3: 1. Sinic4: Includes China and the Chinese communities in South-East Asia. Vietnam and Korea are also in this group. 2. Japanese: Huntington stresses that Japanese civilization is very distinct, and does not necessarily fit in with other “Far Eastern” nations; having split off from China between 100 and 400 AD. 3. Hindu (Also referred to as “Indian” or “Indic”): Huntington notes that while there are
Bibliography: Keeles, Fethi. "The Antinomies of Samuel P. Huntington: Some Anthropological Reflections on the American Pundit." Journal of Third World Studies. 14.2 (2007): 131-43. Print. In, Kang Jung. "Confucianism and Democracy in East Asia: A Critique of Samuel P. Huntington’s Third Wave." Korea Journal 39.3 (1999): 319. Print. Ali, Ayaan Hirsi. "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order." Foreign Affairs 89.6 (2010): 198-99. EBSCO Host. Web.