Civilizational Thinking: A 200-Year-Old Idea Still Hurting the World
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Civilizational Thinking: A 200-Year-Old Idea Still Hurting the World
M
Moneycontrol•23-02-2026, 21:23
Civilizational Thinking: A 200-Year-Old Idea Still Hurting the World
•Cambridge Prof. Josephine Quinn argues that 'civilizational thinking' — viewing the world as distinct civilizations — was invented by Europeans in the 19th century to justify colonization.
•This framework, rather than seeing history through global exchanges, is still prevalent and problematic, as seen in the Iranian government's crackdown on protests.
•The concept of 'the West' was a 'hard won' idea, now under pressure with shifting global power dynamics and internal divisions.
•Globalization is an ancient phenomenon, but the idea of distinct 'civilizations' is a recent, 19th-century construct that has become naturalized.
•Quinn emphasizes that focusing on connections, trade, and interactions between places, rather than static civilizations, is crucial for understanding history and fostering change.
