Civilization state

A civilization state, or civilizational state,[1] is a country that aims to represent not just a historical territory, ethnolinguistic group, or body of governance, but a unique civilization in its own right.[2] It is distinguished from the concept of a nation state by describing a country's dominant sociopolitical modes as constituting a category larger than a single nation. When classifying states as civilization states, emphasis is often placed on a country's historical continuity and cultural unity across a large geographic region.

The term was first coined in the 1990s as a way to describe China[3] and later India, but has also been used to describe countries such as Egypt, Russia, Turkey, Iran[4] and the United States.[2][5][6]

The term has been popularized by Bruno Maçães in a series of essays since 2018.[7]

  1. ^ Coker, Christopher (2019). The Rise of the Civilizational State. John Wiley & Sons.
  2. ^ a b Rachman, Gideon (4 March 2019). "China, India and the rise of the 'civilisation state'". Financial Times. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  3. ^ Pye, Lucian W.1990. "Erratic State, Frustrated Society." Foreign Affairs. 69(4): 56-74
  4. ^ ASHLEY FORD, Christopher (11 November 2019). "Ideological "Grievance States" and Nonproliferation: China, Russia, and Iran". U.S. Department of State. INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES (INSS). Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Huntington's disease and the clash of civilisation-states". The Economist. 2 January 2020.
  6. ^ "The return of the pharaohs: The rise of Egypt's civilization-state". Middle East Institute. 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  7. ^ Maçães, Bruno (2020-06-15). "The Attack Of The Civilization-State". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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