Over the holidays American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington died. He was famous for his theory on 'The Clash of Civilizations' which caused a huge debate among scholars. In extension to this, Huntington explored the impact of modern immigration on American society in various books and articles including 'Who are we?' which discusses, among other things, how Latinos are redefining the American identity.
I read both and regarded them to be valuable in terms of considering and understanding what is America's place in the world and how it views itself from within. Although, I'm not sure I agreed with his positions.
One thing is certain, he was controversial and not PC. He definitely had fans among conservatives. Regardless, the intellectual community lost an influential theorist and writer.
That was a sad, sad day.
ReplyDeleteSad this man has passed away. And thanks for the link to his article.
ReplyDeleteAlliances with similar cultures I can understand. Confrontation (a fruitful one) with 'alien' cultures also. Clash, we must try all to avoid it - it is obvious - especially considering that in this global world we are all much less alien than we might think (at least the more or less educated people) plus difference means complementarily, interest, kicks.