Civilizations as Zones of Prestige and Social Contact

It is put forth that civilizations are zones of prestige, radiating out from centers where culturally imposed activities take place, & that in this way they can be seen as a kind of network pattern of individuals identifying themselves as members of the culture through their visits to the cultural centers, alongside students, temporary residents, & tourists. The movement toward cultural centers is contrasted with the movement away, toward the outside, undertaken by teachers & missionaries, a phenomenon also associated with prestige. It is argued that this point of view is very different from normal definitions that assimilate civilization to a code or cultural blue-print governing beliefs & institutions. The importance of activities, rather than essences, to civilizations is emphasized, noting that civilizations may be studied through an analysis of their activities, which can increase or decrease a civilization's charm & power of attraction. The pluralism of the cultural models that make up each civilization is addressed, as are the new configurations that occur as the result of relationships between different civilizations. 7 References.

Английский

International Sociology. – 2001. – Vol. 16, № 3. – P. 421–437.