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Cultures in Conflict |
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Part II |
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† From Bernard Lewis, Cultures in Conflict: Christians, Muslims, and Jews, in the Age of Discovery (New York, 1995), pp. 3-26. |
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The Evolution of European Expansion
This time Bernard Lewis gets it right! With a minimum of apologizing and Euroethnic flagellation, he explains in broad yet succinct terms the underlying causes of European expansion: beginning with trade rivalry between Romans and Persians that predates Christianity and Islam, he asserts that after the Christians reconquered the lands the Muslims had taken from them, they perceived a need to pursue their enemies to the lands from whence they had come and thus prevent them from regrouping and staging a counterattack. In addition to the success of the Spaniards in North Africa, the Christians triumphed in the Mideast, reclaiming Baghdad and Damascus, if only for a brief period of time. So too, were the Russians victorious over the Tatars. He points out how the Europeans were, until recently, a people of one race, and that, despite their many ethnicities and discrete languages, they were far more alike than the peoples of Africa and Asia: compare the people of North Africa with those who live in sub-Saharan Africa, or the people of India with the people of China. Europeans Named Continents, Recorded Geographies and Histories of Other Cultures Moreover, it was the Europeans who named the continents of the world and who recorded the geographies and the histories of so many cultures that later enabled non-Europeans to learn about themselves. And the more they learned about themselves, the more they resented the Europeans who had so influenced them. The Institution of Slavery and Abolition On the issue of slavery, he points out that the Europeans brought a new kind of slavery to the American colonies, but hastens to add that slavery was first ended by Europeans as well (It is still widely practiced in India and Sudan today.). And |
there has only been one abolition [that of the United States]. History Repeats Itself Lewis sets forth one of his most cogent points masterfully and in unambiguous terms: the Europeans embarked on their voyages of conquest and colonization because they were "following the example set [for] them by their neighbors and predecessors and, indeed, conforming to the common practice of mankind [at that time]. In the case of their attack on the neighboring lands of Islam in Africa and Asia," they were merely returning the favor. The White Man's Burden Lewis states that doubt is good for democracy, then drives home his most salient point: feelings of guilt over what our forefathers have done in the past are destructive and are the greatest flaw of Western civilization. It is "a new version of 'the white man's burden'." The Dangers Inherent in Multiculturalism He also warns against the dangers inherent in multiculturalism, so warmly embraced in today's "learning centers." "It becomes dangerous and demeaning to all cultures when it presents an idealized [view of one culture and an aversion toward] other cultures and contrasts them with a demonized parody of the [United States and Europe]." The Sad Truth In closing, Lewis states that the lack of conviction of many who should defend our culture and the intense hatred felt by those who accuse us of being responsible for all of the world's ills could well lead to our demise, adding that, if that should happen, the people of all of the world's continents will suffer greatly. I could not agree more. |
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Contributed by Richard Wible |
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