Europe and Asia beyond East and West

by Gerard Delanty (editor)

This major new book tackles key questions on Europe in the context of shifting parameters of East and West. The contributors - sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers and historians - show, from a variety of different perspectives, that the conventional equation of Europe with the West must be questioned. Featuring four thematically organized chapters, the book looks at:

a post-Western world
Asia in Europe: encounters in history
between Europe and Asia
otherness in Europe and Asia.

Exploring new expressions of European self-understanding in a way that challenges recent ideological notions of the ‘clash of civilizations’, this outstanding work draws on recent scholarship that shows how Europe and Asia were mutually linked in history and in contemporary perspective. It argues that as a result of current developments and the changing geopolitical context, both Europe and Asia have much in common and that it is possible to speak of cosmopolitan links rather than clashes.

This book will be of great value to students and researchers in the fields of sociology, European politics and history and cultural theory.

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Sevket Akyildiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intellectual adventure. Very readable and informative book. A well organised and thought-provoking collection of academic chapters. This edited study clarifies and explores the interrelationship between the so-called 'East' and 'West'; it highlights the historical, philosophical, social, and economic connections and mix between the Europe and Asia going back centuries. And it provides us with some possible future directions that Europe, Asia, and Eurasia might take. This is a text you will want to return to again and again because it helps us to rethink ideas and concepts about regions, peoples, and identity---which we often take for granted. The notion of 'cosmopolitanism' is investigated and debated. Overall, a very good read; this book will be of use to both academic researchers and general readers.