Islamic Culture and Democracy: Testing the 'Clash of Civilizations' Thesis

2002 ◽  
Vol 1 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 235-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Inglehart ◽  
Pippa Norris
Keyword(s):  
World Values Survey ◽  
Clash Of Civilizations ◽  
The West ◽  
Political Values ◽  
Beliefs And Values ◽  
European Values Survey ◽  
European Values ◽  
Extensive Body ◽  
First Time

AbstractIn seeking to understand the root causes of the events of 9/11 many accounts have turned to Samuel P. Huntington's provocative and controversial thesis of a 'clash of civilizations', arousing strong debate. Evidence from the 1995-2001 waves of the World Values Survey/European Values Survey (WVS/EVS) allows us, for the first time, to examine an extensive body of empirical evidence relating to this debate. Comparative analysis of the beliefs and values of Islamic and non-Islamic publics in 75 societies around the globe, confirms the first claim in Huntington's thesis: culture does matter, and indeed matters a lot, so that religious legacies leave a distinct imprint on contemporary values. But Huntington is mistaken in assuming that the core clash between the West and Islamic worlds concerns democracy. The evidence suggests striking similarities in the political values held in these societies. It is true that Islamic publics differ from Western publics concerning the role of religious leadership in society, but this is not a simple dichotomous clash — many non-Islamic societies side with the Islamic ones on this issue. Moreover the Huntington thesis fails to identify the most basic cultural fault line between the West and Islam, which concerns the issues of gender equality and sexual liberalization. The cultural gulf separating Islam from the West involves Eros far more than Demos.

From Sufism to Universal Vision: Murat Yagan and the Teaching of Kebzeh

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-92
Author(s):  
Chen Bram ◽  
Meir Hatina
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Exchange ◽  
The United States ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
The West ◽  
Art Of Living ◽  
The Caucasus ◽  
Caucasus Mountains ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
First Time

This article examines aspects of cultural exchange between the Middle East and the West in which Sufism, Christianity, the traditions of the Circassians and New Age concepts played a central role. It focuses on the teaching of Murat Yagan, of Abkhaz-Circassian origin who grew up in Turkey and immigrated to Canada in the 1960s, where he developed his philosophy, Ahmsta Kebzeh (“the knowledge of the art of living”). The Kebzeh way of life emphasizes modesty, mutual responsibility and compassion. Yagan linked these values to the ancient ethos of the Caucasus Mountains which he sought to revive as the basis of a universal vision. The nature of Kebzeh was influenced by the cosmopolitan environment in which Yagan was educated in Turkey; by his enrollment with Sufi circles in North America; and by the multicultural Canadian atmosphere. These diverse influences enabled him to devise an ecumenical model of dialogue between cultures. The article provides a first-time survey and analysis of Kebzeh ideological and communal features. It sheds new light on the role of ethnicity and cultural heritage in immigrant societies in the context of the evolution of spirituality in Canada, a relatively unexplored milieu in comparison to the United States and Europe.

كتاب التطور الثقافي: تغير دوافع الشعوب وإعادة تشكيل العالم Book :Cultural Development: Changing peoples' motivations and reshaping the world

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (first) ◽  
pp. 214-224
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Modernization Theory ◽  
European Values Survey ◽  
The World ◽  
Cultural Variable ◽  
European Values ◽  
Field Database ◽  
Second World

يعرف هذا الكتاب القارئ بنظرية التحديث التطورية Evolutionary Modernization Theory لرونالد إنجلهارت التي تنبثق عنها مجموعة من الفروض يقوم صاحب النظرية باختبارها مستخدماً قاعدة بيانات ميدانية فريدة من نوعها تم جمعها من مسح القيم العالمي World Values Survey ومسح القيم الأوربية European Values Survey ما بين عامي 1981 و 2014. ويُعد هذا الكتاب امتداداً للفكر الاجتماعي-السياسي والفكر الاقتصادي-التنموي الذي ظهر بعد الحرب العالمية الثانية متمثلاً في نظريات التحديث والتغير الثقافي، ويتبنى المؤلف النظرة الكونية لخريطة العالم الثقافية ويبرز أولوية المتغير الثقافي على وجه التحديد. و تم تصميم هذا الكتاب على نحو يساعد القارئ على تفهم كيف تتغير قيم الناس وأهدافهم، وكيف يؤدي ذلك إلى تغيير العالم. This book is known as Ronald Engelhart’s Evolutionary Modernization Theory, which gives rise to a set of hypotheses that the theory owner tests using a unique field database collected from the World Values ​​Survey and the European Values ​​Survey between 1981 and 2014. This book is an extension of the socio-political and economic-developmental ideas that emerged after the Second World War represented in theories of modernization and cultural change, and the author adopts the global view of the cultural map of the world and highlights the priority of the cultural variable specifically. This book is designed to help the reader understand how people’s values ​​and goals change, and how this changes the world

scholarly journals Human dignity - Our supreme constitutional value

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Nazeem MI Goolam
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Dignity ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
First Year ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The West ◽  
Plural Society ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

As far as constitutional interpretation and statutory interpretation in general is concerned, South Africa is undergoing a transformation from a formal, positivistic vision of law to a substantive, natural law vision of law. And the single most significant factor in this transformation is the existence of constitutional values. For the first time in South Africa, courts (in particular the Constitutional Court) must decide cases on the basis of these values. It is therefore simply erroneous and naive to say that 'the Constitutional Court has been so fixated with the role of 'values' in the first year of its existence' and that the court is 'obsessed' with the role of 'values'. Of these values, the three most fundamental in any open and democratic society are human dignity, equality and freedom. Amongst this trinity of values human dignity finds pride of place. Some of the pertinent questions briefly addressed in this article are: (1) What does human dignity entail?; (2) Is human dignity a right or a duty?; (3) How should it be understood in a plural society such as ours?; (4) What about the impact of modern technology on human dignity?; (5) Is our understanding of the concept/value/idea of human dignity not too European/Western in nature? For example, the issue of gays and lesbians is a human rights and human dignity question in the West, while other cultures find homosexuality abhorrent and uncivilized; and (6) Should we explore a religious and spiritual philosophy of human dignity?

scholarly journals Value-involved orientations of the Ukrainian society: 1996−1999−2006 years

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-164
Author(s):  
O. M. Balakireva ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
World Values Survey ◽  
European Values Survey ◽  
European Values ◽  
Comparative Results ◽  
Ukrainian Society

The author presents the comparative results of studies of the system of value, involved orientations of the population in the frame of the international studi` es “World Values Survey” (1996, 2006) and “European Values Survey” (1999).

Trust and economic growth: Is there a relation?

2020 ◽  
pp. 68-82
Author(s):  
E. I. Borisova ◽  
V. A. Bryzgalin ◽  
I. A. Levina
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Institutional Quality ◽  
Modern World ◽  
World Values Survey ◽  
Positive Relation ◽  
European Values ◽  
History Of ◽  
European Values Study ◽  
Changing Role

We study the relation between trust and economic growth. We explore the history of the topic and conduct empirical analysis using all the available data from the World Values Survey and the European Values Study, including data for the recent years. We show that results of the classic models that establish positive relation between trust and economic growth do not replicate on the most recent data. Moreover, neither use of alternative indicators of trust, nor dividing the countries into the groups depending on institutional quality yields to the appearance of relation. We discuss possible reasons for the absence of relation between trust and economic growth in the recent years, in particular, the changing role of trust in the modern world, and point to the importance of more detailed exploration of the mechanisms of relation between trust and economic growth.

scholarly journals First report of Lactoria cornuta from the west coast of India, Evidence of the role of tropical cyclone Ockhi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal Abdul Rahim Navalgund ◽  
Gurudev I Mali ◽  
Raghavendra I Dollin
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
The West ◽  
West Coast Of India ◽  
Successful Establishment ◽  
External Forces ◽  
First Time

India is known for its rich biodiversity and is fortunate to have several endemic species from different classes of vertebrates. India is home to 7.5% of the global fish diversity, with 91 endemic species of ray finned fishes, the actinopterygians. Some fish species have never been reported until recently, and one such example is the long-horned Cowfish (Ostracidae), best known for inhabiting only certain areas of the Indo-Pacific oceans. However, it has been reported recently in the Bay of Bengal, but never on the west coast of India. This is the first time this fish has been found on the west coast of India. Given its morphology, the migration seems highly improbable since it can only endure lethargic swimming. In this article, we have explored the role of other external forces that could have contributed to its journey to the west coast of India. As such, we recognize the role of Super Cyclone Ockhi as a vital force in determining the expansion of its range. The fact that its first collection coincides with the passage of Cyclone Ockhi on the west coast of India greatly supports our hypothesis. A year later, another specimen was recovered from a location very close to the first, indicating the successful establishment of Lacturia cornuta in its new environment. Related morphometric and meristic studies of our specimens are consistent with previous studies reported in the Bay of Bengal.

scholarly journals Larval trematodes in bithyniid snails (Gastropoda: Bithyniidae) in the lake-rivers systems from the steppe zone (The West Siberian Plain, Russia)

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Serbina
Keyword(s):  
West Siberia ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Trematode Species ◽  
West Siberian Plain ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
The West ◽  
Bithynia Tentaculata ◽  
Original Species ◽  
First Time

AbstractA survey of cercariae and metacercariae (Trematoda, Digenea) from bithyniid snails (Gastropoda: Bithyniidae) in lake-river systems in Northern Kulunda (of the steppe zone of the West Siberia Plain) is presented. The role of Bithynia tentaculata (Linne, 1758) and Bithynia troscheli (Paasch, 1842) as the first intermediate hosts and as the second intermediate hosts of trematodes in the study area was accomplished for the first time. Twelve species of cercariae (8 families) and 12 species of metacercariae (6 families) were found in bithyniid snails. Altogether, bithyniid snails were infected with 23 trematode species including 16 genera in 11 families. New Cercariae Holostephanus sp. and five original species of trematode metacercariae, were discovered in bithyniid snails of the steppe zone of the West Siberia Plain. The dominant cercariae were those of the families Prosthogonimidae and Lecithodendriidae. The most prevalent metacercariae were Echinoparyphium aconiatum Dietz, 1909 and E. recurvatum Linstow, 1873 (both family Echinostomatidae) and Cyathocotyle bithyniae Sudarikov, 1974 (Cyathocotylidae). B. troscheli infected by trematode parthenitae of Holostephanus sp. was detected in the Russia for the first time.

scholarly journals The socio-cultural and political significance of coffeehouses and coffee culture during the independence processes of Kosovo

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-41
Author(s):  
Ajhan Bajmaku ◽  
Cinar Nartar
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
The West ◽  
Political Values ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Political Roles ◽  
Pull Through

The coffee culture in the Balkans spread and developed as the Ottoman Empire began using the region as a base that opened into Europe. This region with great strategic significance draws attention not only because it functioned as a bridge between the East and the West but also because of cultural and political values in perspective of the process of changes and developments that have taken place throughout time. As an establishment the coffeehouse is a vital concept for society. Beside their fundamental functions, coffeehouses have gained additional functions over the course of history. These additional functions are directed by socio-cultural and political behaviours. This research paper aims to focus on the socio-cultural and political roles of the coffee culture and coffeehouses with regard to the independence and liberation movements that took place with beginning with the disintegration of Yugoslavia, particularly in Kosovo. Within this context, the crucial role of coffeehouses is explained through the struggle every fraction of society went through to keep their own cultural and political identities alive in order to pull through the negative circumstances created in Kosovo by the wars experienced in the region in the 1990s. Furthermore, this paper also aims to reveal the significant role coffeehouses and their spatial functions play when a nation undertakes the immense challenge of emancipation.

scholarly journals Axiomatising Incomplete Preferences through Sets of Desirable Gambles

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 1057-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Zaffalon ◽  
Enrique Miranda
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Incomplete Preferences ◽  
Independence Axiom ◽  
Imprecise Probability ◽  
Bounded Variables ◽  
Beliefs And Values ◽  
Linear Utility ◽  
Traditional Assumption ◽  
First Time

We establish the equivalence of two very general theories: the first is the decision-theoretic formalisation of incomplete preferences based on the mixture independence axiom; the second is the theory of coherent sets of desirable gambles (bounded variables) developed in the context of imprecise probability and extended here to vector-valued gambles. Such an equivalence allows us to analyse the theory of incomplete preferences from the point of view of desirability. Among other things, this leads us to uncover an unexpected and clarifying relation: that the notion of `state independence'---the traditional assumption that we can have separate models for beliefs (probabilities) and values (utilities)---coincides with that of `strong independence' in imprecise probability; this connection leads us also to propose much weaker, and arguably more realistic, notions of state independence. Then we simplify the treatment of complete beliefs and values by putting them on a more equal footing. We study the role of the Archimedean condition---which allows us to actually talk of expected utility---, identify some weaknesses and propose alternatives that solve these. More generally speaking, we show that desirability is a valuable alternative foundation to preferences for decision theory that streamlines and unifies a number of concepts while preserving great generality. In addition, the mentioned equivalence shows for the first time how to extend the theory of desirability to imprecise non-linear utility, thus enabling us to formulate one of the most powerful self-consistent theories of reasoning and decision-making available today.

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