In the social sciences, civilisation is one of the most oft-debated concepts. However, the debates around it are still framed by Western assumptions and concern

Since its birth as a concept, civilization has been defined by an encounter with the 'other'. Barbarism, the ever-ready counter concept, has provided civilizati

We are told that Western/Christian and Muslim/Arab civilizations are heading towards inevitable conflict. The demographics of the West remain sluggish, while th

“Superb... A tour de force.” —Ebrahim Moosa “Provocative... Aydin ranges over the centuries to show the relative novelty of the idea of a Muslim world a

In 1993, Samuel P. Huntington boldly asserted in the pages of Foreign Affairs, the preeminent magazine on foreign policy and international relations, that world