MODERNITY BEYOND THE WEST (original) (raw)
FOREWORD This book studies the relationship between the West and the East starting with an analysis of the conceptual theories of modernity and its global nature. It describes how the modern western world functions, internally and externally; how it began; how it relates to the rest of the world; and what effect this has culturally on non-Western countries. The integration of modern values in non-Western countries has resulted in a structural transformation in those countries which would make it very difficult for them to return to their former values. However, the integration of Western values into non-Western societies has led to the adaptation of modern ideas to suit local circumstances, resulting in the creation of a local modernity – the idea of a modernity beyond the West. However, 'A Modernity Beyond the West' is not a book against the West. It neither takes sides nor argues a political point but rather reflects on the birth of a new era where the emergence of globalization encourages non-Western societies to create their own unique cultural, economic and political identities. These new emerging societies are dual societies, neither totally modern in the Western sense nor totally traditional in the Eastern sense. Instead they have their own unique characteristics. We are witnessing an extraordinary era where, for the first time, a complete dissociation between modernity and the West is occurring. This era is the beginning of modern non-Western countries. The colonial era, as well as the neo-or post-colonial era is thus definitely past. But the world which is emerging as a result of globalization is a divided world. In this way for two centuries modernity has infiltrated countries known as traditional. Today its presence is undeniable. This influence, encouraged by the fast-moving process of globalization, has affected deeply the whole structure of formerly-traditional societies. Now, due to these unavoidable changes they have become more Western without being 'Western'. This presents a paradox: modernity is historically Western in its origins but by nature profoundly global. This brings us to the conclusion that the more modernity
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Quote as: Salvatore, Armando. 2015. "Modernity." In Islamic Political Thought: An Introduction, ed. Gerhard Bowering, Princeton, NJ and Oxford: Princeton University Press, pp. 135-51., 2015