Non-West Model: Does the Civilization-State Exist?

Non-West Model:
Does the Civilization-State Exist?


Naumkin V.V.,

Full Member of RAS, President, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, director@ivran.ru


elibrary_id: 71351 | RESEARCHER_ID: R-9576-2019


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2020.04.06

For citation:

Naumkin V.V. Non-West Model: Does the Civilization-State Exist? – Polis. Political Studies. 2020. No. 4. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2020.04.06



Abstract

The article reviews some aspects of civilizationism as a trend in self-positioning strategies as adopted by several Asian states, primarily by China and India, as well as some other nations. Close attention is paid to the concept of the civilization-state (CS), as distinct from the nation state (NS). This allows the specific characteristics of the largest non-Western nations to be unveiled; these are linked to their thousand-year history, traditional cultural codes (deeply rooted in both public and elite mindsets), and the resentment of universalism and of any attempts to impose an alien system of values upon them. It is inferred that Russia meets the civilization-state criteria in such a way that aligns it with the nation state category; within this frame of reference, certain states are shown to fall in between these two categories, as they can demonstrate only a limited range of prerequisites to qualify their inclusion on the civilization-state list. In this context, a number of states in the Arab World are referenced as examples. Two different interpretations of the notion of “civilizatianism” are revealed by examining this definition of the nature and political practices of the states. The authors, representing the interests of the mainstream political bodies of Asian civilizationstates, tend to use this notion in order to emphasize their spiritual and cultural supremacy in response to the exclusive claims to the global leadership, as well as to promote the idea of their “responsible” attitude to society governance and handling of global issues. However, their adversaries treat civilizationism as synonymous with authoritarianism, disrespecting the rights of minorities, archaic political practices, and national egoism. The author views the concept of the civilization-state not only as a weapon of ideological and political struggles, but also as a useful instrument for detecting the genuine peculiarities of such states, distinguishing them from the models based on the principles of neo-liberal democracy and universalism. 

Keywords
civilization-state, China, guanxi, India, dharma, Eurasionism, civilizationism, identity, nation-state, Arab nationalism, religion.


References

Dorsey J.M. 2019. Civilisationalism: Ignoring Early Warning Signs at One’s Peril. – ResearchGate. Discover the World’s Research. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333565194_Civilisationalism_Ignoring_early_warning_signs_at_one’s_peril (accessed 08.05.2020).

Jacques M. 2012. When China Rules the World. London: Penguin Books. 848 p.

Prabhu J.A. 2014. Why the Idea of India as a ‘Civilizational’ State will Simply not Fly. – Firstpost.com. 08.12. URL: https://www.firstpost.com/india/idea-india-civilisational-state-will-simply-fly-1839641.html (accessed 08.05.2020).

Pye L.W. 1992. The Spirit of Chinese Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harward University Press. 278 p.

Weiwei Z. 2012. The China Wave: Rise of a Civilizational State. Hackensack, NJ: World Century Publishing Corporation. 205 p.

Al-Khusri S. 1985. Abkhath mukhtara fi al-qaumiiyya al-‘arabiiyya (Izbrannye trudy po arabskomu natsionalizmu) [Al’-Khusri S. Selected Works on Arab Nationalism]. Beirut: Markaz dirasat al-wahda al-‘arabiiyya. 464 p. (In Arab.)

Kaziha W. 1979. Al-Qaumiyya al-‘arabiyya fi Marhalat ma bain Al-Harbayn al-‘alamiyyatayn [Arab Nationalism between the Two World Wars]. – Al-Mustaqbal al-‘Arabi. No. 5. (In Arab.)

 

Boitsov M.A. 1999. Vpered, k Gerodotu! [Go to Herodotus!] – Kazus. Individual’noe i unikal’noe v istorii. Al’manakh. Vyp. 2 [Case. Individual and Unique in History. Almanac. Issue 2]. Moscow: Publishing Center of the Russian State University for the Humanities. P. 17-41. (In Russ.)

Dugin A.G. 2015. Voina kontinentov. Sovremennyi mir v geopoliticheskoi sisteme koordinat [War of the Continents. The Modern World in a Geopolitical Coordinate System]. Moscow: Akademicheskii proekt. 359 p. (In Russ.)

Erasov B.S. 1990. Kul’tura, religiya i tsivilizatsiya na Vostoke (ocherki obshchei teorii) [Culture, Religion and Civilization in the East (Essays on the General Theory)]. Moscow: Nauka Publ. 205 p. (In Russ.)

Erasov B.S. 2002. Tsivilizatsii. Universalii i samobytnost’ [Civilizations. Universals and Originality]. Moscow: Nauka Pub. 524 p. (In Russ.)

Ilyushechkin V.P. 1986. Soslovno-klassovoe obshchestvo v istorii Kitaya (opyt sistemno-strukturnogo analiza) [Estate-Class Society in the History of China (Experience of System-Structural Analysis)]. Moscow: Nauka Publ. 396 p. (In Russ.)

Lapkin V.V. 2012. Politicheskie izmeneniya v global’nom mire i dinamika identichnosti [Political Changes in the Global World and Dynamics of Identity]. – Politicheskaya identichnost’ i politika identichnosti. Tom 2. Identichnost’ i sotsial’no-politicheskie izmeneniya v XXI veke. [Political Identity and Identity Politics. Vol. 2.

Identity and Socio-political Changes in the XXI Century]. Ed. by I.S. Semenenko. Moscow: ROSSPEN. P. 16-41. (In Russ.)

Lapkin V.V. 2017. Sotsial’no-politicheskii kontekst transformatsii identichnosti v XXI veke [Sociopolitical Contexts of Identity Transformations in the 21st Century]. – Identichnost’: Lichnost’, obshchestvo, politika. Entsiklopedicheskoe izdanie [Identity: The Individual, Society, and Politics. An Encyclopedia]. Ed. by I. Semenenko. Moscow: Ves Mir Publishers. P. 88-101. (In Russ.)

Loginov A.V. 2013. Rossiya i Evraziya. Evraziiskii vektor: poiski rossiiskoi tsivilizatsionnoi identichnosti v XX stoletii [Russia and Eurasia. Eurasian Vector: the Search for Russian Civilizational Identity in the 20th Century]. Moscow: Great Russian Encyclopedia. 551 p. (In Russ.)

Naumkin V.V. 2019. Right-Sizing and Right-Peopling: The Middle East Challenges. – Polis. Political Studies. No. 6. P. 67-80. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2019.06.06

Panarin A.S. 1995. Evraziiskii proekt v postindustrial’nuyu epokhu [The Eurasian Project in the Post-Industrial Era]. – Sotsial’naya teoriya i sovremennost’. Vypusk XVIII. Evraziiskii proekt modernizatsii Rossii: “za i protiv” [Social Theory and Modernity. Issue XVIII. Eurasian Project of Modernization of Russia: “Pro and contra”]. Moscow: RANEPA Publishing House. P. 17-26. (In Russ.)

Rossiiskaya tsivilizatsiya: Etnokul’turnye i dukhovnye aspekty: Entsiklopedicheskii slovar’ [Russian Civilization: Ethnocultural and Spiritual Aspects: Encyclopedic Dictionary]. 2001. Ed. by. M.P. Mchedlov. Moscow: Respublika. 544 p. (In Russ.)

Yakovlev A.I., Akimov A.V. 2019. Tsivilizatsii v XXI veke: problemy i perspektivy razvitiya [Civilizations in the XXI Century: Problems and Development Prospects]. – Yakovlev A.I. Tsivilizatsionnyi faktor v mirovom razvitii. Stat’i raznykh let [Civilization Factor in World Development. Articles of Different Years]. Moscow: GAUGN-Press. P. 477-495. (In Russ.) 

Content No. 4, 2020

See also:


De Vreede E.,
Culture, civilization and identity. – Polis. Political Studies. 2012. No5

Mochalov A.N.,
In Search of the Origins of Multinational Federalism. – Polis. Political Studies. 2021. No1

Naumkin V.V.,
Modern Convergent Arab Nationalism in the Mirror of Historic Memory. – Polis. Political Studies. 2021. No6

Semenenko I.S.,
Dilemmas of national identity: political risks and social inputs. – Polis. Political Studies. 2009. No6

Fedotova N.N.,
Mass media and the post communist transformations. – Polis. Political Studies. 2012. No1

 
 

Archive

   2024      2023      2022      2021   
   2020      2019      2018      2017      2016   
   2015      2014      2013      2012      2011   
   2010      2009      2008      2007      2006   
   2005      2004      2003      2002      2001   
   2000      1999      1998      1997      1996   
   1995      1994      1993      1992      1991