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This book explores the concept of cultural chauvinism as the sense of superiority that ethnic or national groups have of themselves relative to others, particularly in the context of international relations.
Minabere Ibelema shows the various ways that academics, statesmen, and especially journalists, express their cultural groups' sense of superiority over others. The analysis pivots around the notion of "Western values" given its centrality in international relations and diplomacy. To the West, this stands for an array of largely positive political and civic values; to a significant portion of the global community, it embodies degeneracies. Ibelema argues that often the most routine expressions go under the radar, even in this age of hypersensitivity.
This book throws a unique light on global relations and will be of particular interest to scholars in international relations, communication studies and journalism studies.
List of contents
1. Many Faces of Cultural Chauvinism ; 2. Democracy is Western ; 3. All Things Modern Are Western ; 4. All Things Nefarious Are Non-Western ; 5. The Hell of War Is Non-Western ; 6. All Things Decadent Are Western ; 7. Immodest Dressers and Desecraters ; 8. Contention Not Confucian ; 9. As Democracies Turn ; 10. Dark History of Distinctions ; 11. Who Civilized the Greeks That Civilized the West? ; 12. Political Convergence ; 13. Onward from the Bridgehead ; 14. Cultural Humility ; Postscript: An Oreo and Mozart
About the author
Minabere Ibelema (Ph.D., Ohio State University) is a retired professor of communication studies. His book
The African Press, Civic Cynicism, and Democracy won the U.S. Society of Professional Journalists¿ Sigma Delta Chi Award for Research in Journalism.
Report
'I believe that a book of this quality will be enjoyed by the broadest layers of the reading public, from connoisseurs to the general readership. Younger readers as well as older ones, traditionalists, and liberals will equally appreciate the author's skill and readiness to recognize and analyze a problem that is more relevant today than ever.'
OnlineBookClub.org
'The book is written in a light, conversational style, an easy read. Cultural chauvinism is perennial and omnipresent and the book roams wide... An eyeopener to see 'western values' through the lens of non-westerners...'
Jan Nederveen Pieterse, University of California Santa Barbara for International Journal of Press/Politics
