The myth of Western Civilization : the West as an ideological category and a political myth

"The Myth of Western Civilization: The West as an Ideological Category and a Political Myth has set for itself two different but complementary targets. The first is to show that what is commonly taken as a historical given, "Western Civilization", is actually an ideological construction that has come to absorb the most disparate of contents. It is a common acceptance to intend Western Civilization as the liberal-democratic way of life and capitalist economy that apply in Euro-America. Many among those who believe in the existence and paramountcy of Western Civilization at the same time sustain that Western Civilization can be traced back at the very dawn of Europe and that, depending on who makes the claim, it can be linked to the birth of Greece and Rome and, successively, to Christianity and democracy, often establishing relationships between these varying cultures. While showing the difficulty of considering them instances of the same historical event, The Myth of the West highlights the essential contribution by civilizations like the Phoenician and the Arab to the development of the classical world and modern Europe"-- Provided by publisher Dedication 6 Contents 8 Preface 10 Author’s Presentation 12 To the Reader 14 Abstract 16 1 The West in the Geographies of the Ideological Imagination 18 2 At the Origins of the Myth Persepolis versus Athens 42 3 Is the West Christian, Classic and Democratic? 132 Conclusive Remarks: On the Futility of a Myth 272 Comments to the Pictures 274 Index of Names 276 Index of Terms 288