The Modernizing Imperative: Tradition and Change

Abstract

he once again raises new questions. In his essay, Huntington asserts that civilizations are real important predicts that between civiliza will supplant ideological other forms of conflict as the dominant global form of conflict. He further argues that institutions for cooperation will be more likely to develop within civilizations, conflicts will most often arise between groups in different civilizations. These strike me as interesting but dubious propositions. Huntingtons classification of contem porary civilizations is questionable. He identifies seven or eight major civiliza tions in the contemporary world: (which includes both European North variants), Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, and possibly African. This is a strange list. If civilization is defined by common objective elements such as language, his tory, religion, customs institutions and, subjectively, by identification, if it is the broadest collectivity with which persons intensely identify, why distin guish Latin American from Western civilization? Like North America, America is a continent settled by Euro peans who brought with them European languages a European version of Judeo-Christian religion, law, literature gender roles. The Indian component in culture is more important in some countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador Peru) than in North America. But the African influ ence is more important in the United States than in all but a few Ameri can countries (Brazil, Belize Cuba). Both North South America are