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Dialogue of Civilizations: Myth or Reality Masoumeh Velayati [email protected] Content • • • • • Cold war era and political systems Post-cold war era perdition Proponents of clash of civilisations Opponents of Clash of Civilizations Some attempts at local, national and international level for civilizational dialogue and engagement • Group discussions Cold War era and ideological conflicts between nations • Cold War era is known for the ideological conflict between nations • Two superpowers: the Soviet Union, and the US • Divided world between West & East, or Western & Eastern blocs – Conflict between Communism, NazismFascism,& liberal democracy – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world countries The collapse of Soviet Union • 1985: start of economic reforms in the Union, which required reforms in the political & social structures of the Union • 1989 onwards: liberation policies let to the nationalist movements and ethnic disputes • 1989: the fall of the Berlin Wall • 1991: The collapse of Soviet Union & the end of Cold War era – 15 post-Soviet independent countries All these let to predictions by the political scientists about the nature of the political system in Post-Cold War era Fukuyama’s Post-Cold War prediction (1) – The end of History? (1989) – The end of History and the Last Man (1992) • Western Universalism or liberal hegemony as the evolutionary process of the history • Western democracy have overcome all other ideologies as the final alternative form of government • an end to history, but events will carry on Fukuyama’s prediction (2) • Supportive cases: – Democratic peace theory – Empirical study by Freedom House in 2005 – Centre for systematic peace (global Conflict trends) – Human Security Report • Democracy’s only real competitor is radical Islamism Clash of Civilizations & Samuel Huntington (1) • Samuel Huntington, 1992, 1993, & 1996 – The Clash of Civilizations? – The Clash of Civilization and the remaking of World Order – If not Civilizations, What? • believed that the idea of the Western victory is wrong • Introduced the concept of different civilizations • Nation states are the most powerful actors in the world affairs • Belief in universality of western values & political systems will provoke other civilizations Clash of Civilization & Samuel Huntington (2) • The age of ideology has ended • The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics in post-cold war world • War between states has moved towards conflict of different groups of civilizations • Religious & cultural identities as the fundamental causes of inter-civilization conflicts – The break up of Yugoslavia – War in Chechnya – India and Pakistan Conflict Critiques of Fukuyama’s theory Fukuyama presents “American-Style” of democracy as the only correct political systems that all countries must inevitably follow this particular system: • • • • • • • Developmentalists Environmentalists Anarchists Liberationists Muslim Fundamentalists Marxists And Huntington with his theory of “the clash of civilizations” Major civilizations Cleft States/countries Countries which contain large population identifying with separate civilization • India (between Hindu & Islamic) • Ukraine (between Eastern Catholic & western orthodox) • Some African Countries (between Islamic & African) • China (between Cinic, Buddhist, and the West) • Philippines (between Cinic, Islamic, and the West) The trend of the global conflicts with affect the swing of these countries Threat to the Western Civilization • Cinic civilization (economical, political, & cultural treat to the West) – Islamic civilization as potential ally • Islamic Civilizations – – – – – bloody borders within & outside its borders Population growth Islamic resurgence & fundamentalism A missionary religion Cinic civilisation as potential ally in their conflict with west All of these may lead to the bloody clash between the West and the Islam in 21st Century Critiques of the inevitable clash of Civilizations • Amartya Sen: Identity and Violence - the Illusion of destiny – The root causes of violence is when people have a singular identity (Hindu, Muslim) • Edward Said: The Clash of Ignorance – The theory is based on clash and conflict, but not harmony & conciliation – The categorisation of world’s fixed, enclosed civilizations removes dynamic interdependency & interaction of cultures Critiques of the inevitable clash of Civilizations • Paul Berman: Terror and Liberalism • These days there is no distinct cultural boundaries • Conflict happens because of the philosophical beliefs among different groups regardless of their cultural and religious identities Other criticisms • Civilizations are fractured and lack such a unity • Non-religious factors such as post-communist legacy or the development level are not taken into account • The presentation of the world in a certain way legitimises Western &American interventionist and aggressive actions in other parts of the world, particularly in Muslim world • Civilizational achievements are collective heritage of mankind • Conflict happens when Christianity and/or Islam are misinterpreted, misused, or manipulated for political or economic gains What is Dialogue? • Dialogue is a means to reach understanding, strengthening interaction and engagement among civilizations, groups, cultures, etc • It is a collective effort to promote and protect peace, stability, human rights, & cultural plurality, • It is about fostering international co-operation • Because of the above & many more reasons, dialogue is needed or necessary due to the pluralistic nature of human societies Some attempts for civilizational dialogues • UN efforts – 1995, Year of Tolerance – 2001, the year of Dialogue Among Civilizations – Since 2005, United Nations Alliance of Civilisations to • Combat extremism • Overcome cultural and social barriers between the Western & predominately Muslim worlds • Reduce tensions and polarisation between societies with different religious and cultural values • Promote civil societies as to provide grassroots capacity to change attitudes • Intercultural programmes and leadership • The UNAOC-EF Summer School for young people aged 18-35. Now open for application. Visit http://www.unaocefsummerschool.org/ Some counter attempts • Interfaith relations (how to achieve constructive and practical dialogue, not why dialogue – conferences, seminars, – dissemination of information, – Intercultural, social & educational activities and events • Interfaith Dialogue – Theological debates/ Scriptural reasoning, mainly – To understand each religion’s theological standing, BUT not to convert – some of the differences between different religions or religious-world views are very real, strong, which cannot be easily glossed or reconciled (Pratt, 2005:226). Questions 1. What are fundamentals for a good dialogical interaction between people of different cultures and/or religions? 2. What are dialogical challenges among interfaith communities or communities of different cultures? 3. What is your perception about the ‘other’? How and why the ’otherness’ and diversity can be perceived as a threat or as an opportunity? 4. What are the problems of co-existence between nations or societies? How do they manifest themselves? References • Ashari, Halisah. 2013. Dialogue of Civilizations. on Line at: http://www.parlimen.gov.my/images/webuser/artikel/ro/halisah/Dialogue %20of%20civilizations%20Halisah%20Ashari.pdf • Jahanbegloo, Ramin. 2012. Transcending the Clash of Cultures: The Search for Common Shared Values. In M. Mahdavi and W.A. Knight (Eds.), Towards the Dignity of Difference? Neither ‘End of History’ nor ‘Clash of Cililization’. Surry: Ashgate. • Koechler, Hans. 2002. The Dialogue of Civilizations: Philosophical Basis, Political Dimensions and the Relevance of International Sporting Events (pages 1- 13). On line at: http://www.i-p-o.org/koechler_worldcup-lecture.pdf • Pratt, Douglas. 2005. Conclusion. In D. Pratt (ed.), The Challenge of Islam: Encounters in Interfaith Dialogue. Hampshire & Burlington: Ashgate. • Segesvary, Victor. 2004. Dialogue of Civilisations:: An Introduction to Civilizational Analysis. The Hague: Mikes International. What are fundamentals for a good dialogical interaction between people of different cultures and/or religions? 1. Identifying common grounds and values between religions, civilisations, and cultures for constructive and practical dialogue; 2. Equally identifying and understanding differences to minimise their impact, not necessarily to eradicate them; 3. Identify common concerns between people from different religions and cultures; 4. Differentiate between civilizations and ideologies 5. Accept the legitimacy of the ‘other’ and their perspectives. What are dialogical challenges among interfaith communities or communities of different cultures? 1. Theological challenges, particularly between Christians-Muslims interfaith encounters; 2. Historical events and their legacy among the people of different religions, such as crusade 3. Historical events and their legacy among the people of different cultures, such as colonialism, slavery, 4. On-going discriminatory relations What is your perception about the ‘other’? How and/or why the ’otherness’ & diversity can be perceived as a threat or as an opportunity? The other can be from ‘within’ or from ‘outside’ of one’s own community, where the ‘other’ represents a partially different or totally alien religion or culture. The challenges of both are the same: a)dialogical engagement that involves sometimes radically different perspectives; b)acceptance or rejection of the legitimacy of the ‘other’; c)at higher level tolerance/respect or disrespect the ‘other’ in the case of b & c in the positive site, the acceptance or the respect of the ‘other’ will lead to rethink about our own worldview. On the negative site, it might lead to narrowness and assuming our worldview as the best and others as worthless What are the problems of co-existence between nations or societies? How do they manifest themselves? • Intolerance and disrespect towards the others or towards diversity • Hatred towards other religions, cultures, civilizational symbols • Not differentiate between culture/civilization and ideology