Table of Contents

A Genealogy of "Western Civilisation"; Greece: Aryan or Mediterranean? - Two Contending Historiographical Models, Martin Bernal; On the Scottish Origin of Civilisation, George C. Caffentzis; True West - The Changing Idea of the West from the 1880s to the 1920s, Chris GoGwilt; The God that Never Failed - The Origins and Crises of Western Civilisation, Silvia Federici; Satirical Appendix - Oedipus and the Coup, Sol Yurick; One or Many Civilizations?; Mathematics and Eurocentrism, George Gheverghese Joseph; Orientalism, Political Economy and the Canonisation of Indian Civilization, John Roosa; African Languages and European Linquistic Imperialism, Alamin Mazrui; They Came Before the Egyptians - Linguistic Evidence for the African Roots of Semitic Languages, Nicolas Faraclas.

Promotional Information

Essays examining the origins of the concepts of Western Civilization and the myths that surround it.

About the Author

SILVIA FEDERICI is Associate Professor of Philosophy and International Studies at Hofstra University.

Reviews

"Many of us teachers of "western civilization.,."are caught in an implacable vise: on the one hand, the conservative bullies bray for a bigoted version of the past, or various groups demand "affirmative action" by inclusion in the liberal version of the historical grand narrative and the resulting culture wars produce much sound and fury. On the other hand, our students, often approaching history for the very first time, eagerly want a clear narration of our story so that they can have some common sense in facing the future that awaits them. "Enduring Western Civilization must become an essential supplement to every teacher who works with this dilemma. It contains original works of scholarship by authors who are distinguished for their creativity and rigor. It is a diamond that cannot be crushed in the vise I have mentioned; indeed, it can help us to pry it open."-Peter Linebaugh, University of Toledo

"This book exposes the cliches that have moved from imperialism to postcoloniality, from Eurocentrism to multiculturalism. It is a well-documented guide to new research agendas and to a pedogogy that is enlightened beyond mere polemic."-Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Columbia University