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Class Prep
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A Clash of Civilizations?
- In 1993, four years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and in the midst of Boris Yeltsin's dissolution of the Soviet Union, Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington wrote a famous essay in the journal Foreign Affairs laying out a vision of the new world order. In this article, "Clash of Civilizations?" he posed his hypothesis that the nature of global conflict was changing. If past conflicts had been sparked by princes (1648–1793), then by nation-states (1793–1918), then by ideologies such as communism vs. fascism vs. liberal democracy (1918–1991), the new world order would be marked by conflicts between civilizations. He identified seven, or possibly eight, such civilizations: Western, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American, and possibly African. He stated that, of all the differentiating factors that separate civilizations from one another, the most important is religion. And he argued that civilizational differences, like those over religion, "have generated the most prolonged and violent conflicts," implying that future conflicts would be a lot "hotter" than the Cold War (p. 25). His conclusions included a kind of call to arms to the West to "develop a more profound understanding of the basic religious and philosophical assumptions underlying other civilizations and the ways in which people in those civilizations see their interests" (p. 49).
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- While 9/11 seemed to confirm Huntington's thesis in some peoples' minds, others raised objections. We'll explore that debate in class today.
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- To prepare for the debate, first consider on your own one of his premises, that difference (particularly "cultural" differences like religion) are an inevitable source of global conflict. As you complete your journal, consider questions like these: Does difference predict conflict? What kind of differences impel people to violence (in your view)? Does religious difference result in violent encounters? Do you agree that the best way to characterize conflicts in our world is "cultural" or "civilizational," these 18 years after Huntington's article and 10 years after 9/11?
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- The questions for the reading will be broken out into a pro-Huntington position and a rebuttal position, which can be informed by Edward Said's essay. It isn't necessary that you agree with the position you are assigned; you just need to find its strongest points and prepare to argue for them.
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Huntington Thesis |
Said (or your) Rebuttal |
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Reflection |
Summarize Huntington's thesis that religion, and culture generally, lie at the root of civilizational conflict. Prepare to defend it. (Team 4) |
Using Said's essay, challenge Huntington's thesis, focusing particularly on the role he assigns to religion and culture. Does the "return of religion" predict more violent global conflict? (Team 4) |
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Interpretation of Scripture |
Look back over our study of Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures. Find examples demonstrating historical conflicts determined by religious differences. (Team 1) |
Look back over our study of Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures. Find examples demonstrating occasions when difference was embraced or tolerated. Also, consider examples of conflicts described in scripture; do the scriptures portray these as caused solely by religion, or by other factors as well? (Team 1) |
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Historical Comparison |
From the last two weeks, when we've examined global religious encounters, find the best cases you can that demonstrate Huntington's thesis (that religion and cultural factors prompt greater violence than political or economic differences). (Team 2) |
Read what the pro-Huntington group is looking for, and find counter-examples. Look for occasions when religion or culture moderated violence or when political and/or economic factors seemed to be the real reason for the conflict. (Team 2) |
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Ethical Evaluation |
Does Huntington have a point? What do you think he "gets right," and where might his argument be weak? (Team 3) |
Said considers Huntington an orientalist, a term he defines quite negatively. Why? (Team 3) |
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- Assigned Readings
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- Secondary: Samuel P. Huntington, "Clash of Civilizations?" Foreign Affairs 72:3 (1993) 22-49 (Camino); Edward W. Said, "The Clash of Ignorance," The Nation.com (22 October 2001), online, http://www.thenation.com/article/clash-ignorance?page=full (here and Camino)
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- Slides from Lecture
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- Further Reading
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- Aslan, Reza. Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization. New York: Random House, 2010.
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- --------. How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror. New York: Random House, 2009.
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- --------. No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006; original, 2005.
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- Hoffman, Stephen P. "Civilizations and World Order." Fides et historia 36:2 (2004) 116-19. The entire issue is devoted to a discussion of Huntington's thesis
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- Huntington, Samuel P. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of the World Order. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
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- Rashid, Salim, ed. The Clash of Civilizations?: Asian Responses. Dhaka, Bangladesh: University Press Limited, 1997.
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- Said, Edward W. Orientalism. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1978.
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- Wallace, Daniel L. "Islam and the 'Clash of Civilizations'’" Journal of Church and State 48:3 (2006) 509-523.
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- Links
- Reza Aslan on Big Think - Associate Professor of Creative Writng at UC Riverside, Reza earned his BA in Religious Studies from Santa Clara University and went on to earn an MA in Theological Studies from Harvard University and a PhD in Islamic Studies from UC Santa Barbara (as well as a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. This page cataloges some short videos in which he answers questions, such as "Is there a clash of civilizations" and "Islam and the West." You can learn more about him on his personal home page as well.
- The Rap Songs of the Arab Spring - a story by the NPR Staff posted on NPR Music on 9 June 2011; includes video clips of some of the more important and mobilizing songs and music videos. Watch all of them and write an extra credit paper in which you analyze the "causes" of the conflicts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen in light of Huntington's "clash of civilizations" thesis. Where is religion in these videos/songs? Is it a cause of conflict? A resource? A vocabulary?
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- Sources
- Photographs:
- Video clip of Flight 175 striking South Tower of the World Trace Center, "9-11 Review: Jets Impact the Twin Towers," 9-11 Review.com, online, http://911review.com/attack/wtc/impacts.html. (Actual video source not yet found; use of an image from this site does not imply endorsement of the views of this site)
- Iraqi man praying, published in Robert Fisk, "This is the reality of war. We bomb. They suffer," The Independent, Online edition (23 March 2003; archived), online, http://thewe.cc/weplanet/news/armed_force/us/realityofwar.htm.
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