Barbarians and civilization in international relations / Mark B. Salter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Salter, Mark B.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations and culture.

World politics--1989-.

World politics.

Physical Description:

x, 228 pages ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Barbarians & civilization

Place of Publication:

London ; Sterling, Va. : Pluto Press, 2002.

Summary:

The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington have led to popular conceptions of Muslims as terrorists. In regard to this, some commentators have referred to Samuel Huntington's 'Clash of Civilizations' argument, which has become a touchstone in postcolonial studies. Huntington argued that, after the collapse of the Cold War, culture would become the main axis of conflict for civilizational alliances.

Mark Salter takes issue with Huntington's theory and explains how the terms of his argument are part of an imperialist discourse that casts other civilizations as essentially barbarian. Although many commentators have engaged with Huntington's claims, few have pursued the political implications of his argument. Barbarians and Civilization offers a decisive exploration of the colonial rhetoric inherent in current political discourse. Charting the usefulness of concepts of culture and identity for understanding world politics, Salter brilliantly illustrates the benefits and the limitations of the civilized/barbarian dichotomy in international relations.

Contents:

Introduction

Civilization and barbarians

Empire of barbarians

A civilized/barbaric Europe

New barbarians

Decolonizing the discipline: forgetting the imperial past and the imperial present

New barbarians, old barbarians: post-Cold War IR theory "everything old is new again"

Conclusion: the return of culture, identity, civilization and barbarians to international relations

Epilogue: new barbarians, new civilizations, and no new clashes.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [202]-220) and index.

ISBN:

0745319025

0745319017

OCLC:

48892585