Civilizational sociology and intercultural models of American societies
Jeremy Smith, University of Ballarat
Early sociologies that intersected with traditions of civilizations analysis have recently been critically reconstructed as contemporary civilisational sociology. This interdisciplinary field of research brings a fresh and alternative approach to twenty-first century political discourse as well as the social sciences. It has been a robust basis for one kind of critique of existing conservative scholarship of civilizations (the most prominent example being Samuel's Huntington's work). What has variously emerged from the work of scholars in this field, including representative figures such as Said Arjomand, Johann Arnason, Shmuel Eisenstadt, Peter Wagner and Benjamin Nelson, is a conceptual re-composition of sociological theory. The results are infused with a heightened intercultural sensibility which, nonetheless, does not dispense with the contentious notion of civilization. This paper aims to explore how far the critical reconsideration of civilization goes in achieving intercultural goals that are set for it by its key thinkers. In other words, it is intended as a preliminary assessment of the success of this emerging field in forging a more adequate scholarship of interculturality. It will pay particular attention to multiple modernities in the Atlantic sphere and the status of American indigenous civilizations. The paper concludes that there are pressing reasons, and great potential, for further conceptual clarification and more research in this field.