Clash of Civilisations? Where Are We Now? (15-16 November 2018)

From the convenors, Professors Bronwen Neil and Catriona Mackenzie (Macquarie University):

OUR CHOICE OF THEME marks the 25th anniversary of the Huntington thesis, underlining the continuing relevance of the Humanities for understanding the contemporary challenges of human communities and societies in the 21st century. The Symposium brings together speakers from a range of disciplines to provide a forum for an informed appreciation of cultural, religious and linguistic diversity in contemporary Australia.

A controversial legacy …

In 1993, Samuel P. Huntington posited that future civilisations would be defined in two ways: by common objective elements such as language, religion and history, and by the subjective selfidentification of people (1993: 25). He also predicted that civilisations would not be place-based but that the mass movement of peoples would result in the translocation of cultures.

Huntington’s thesis, and his perhaps unreflective use of the term “civilisations”, has since been subjected to sustained critique. Nevertheless, his “clash of civilisations” has become a catchphrase. At the same time, migration has indeed forced Western societies to recognise that their own cultures are not universal. In Australia, some have felt compelled to advocate for the protection of “western values” while others condemn western “decadence”.

We believe that the disciplines of the Humanities have an important role to play in charting these global changes and meeting the challenges they have produced. It is now timely to return to the debate with the knowledge gained from studies of the Humanities over the past 25 years. A study of conflicts – religious, cultural and philosophical – and their resolutions over the course of 3000 years demonstrates how different civilisations have learned to coexist and joined to shape the future world. It also demonstrates how the exaggeration of difference and the promotion of conflict can lead to humanitarian catastrophes.

By adopting the question “Clash of civilisations? Where are we now?” as the theme for the Symposium in 2018, we seek to promote tolerance and understanding of cross-cultural difference, as well as to contribute to bridging existing divisions.

We are pleased to welcome co-recipient of the 2018 Crawford Medal Dr Raihan Ismail to give the 8th Hancock Lecture on Hybrid civilisations or Clash of civilisations? Re-visiting the Muslim Other. Professor Julianne Schultz am faha will deliver the 49th Academy Lecture, Turning the level of civilisation up: A Twenty-first century challenge, addressing the continuing relevance of the Huntington thesis for Australians in 2018, as citizens of a global network characterised by both transnationalism and terrorism.

Each of our five sessions addresses a controversial topic and combines diverse perspectives from the various Humanities disciplines represented in the Academy as well as from others whose professional roles engage them in questions of cultural, ethnic or religious conflict.

Full conference program

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