| Summary: |
In the greater clash, the global ‘real clash’, between civilization and
barbarism, the world’s great civilizations, with their rich accomplishments
in religion, art, literature, philosophy, science, morality, and compassion,
will hang together or hang separately.1
Huntington’s invocation of the clash between civilization – read
as high culture – and barbarism illustrates the function of these
terms as identity groups and the connections between identity,
culture, civilization and barbarism.
IDENTITY
The concept of ‘identity’ is clouded in epistemological battles,
academic wrangling and definitional ambiguity. Despite this
conceptual ambiguity, ‘identity’ is clearly a central theme in
political discourse and warrants serious analysis. Because individual
and group identities are formed ‘in relation to a world beyond
themselves’, identity politics are of prime concern to International
Relations.2 Huntington provides a provisional definition of identity
that acts as a starting point for his argument:
people define themselves in terms of ancestry, religion, language,
history, values, customs, and institutions, [they] use politics not
just to advance their interests but also to define their identity.
We know who we are only when we know who we are not and
often when we know whom we are against.3
|