Globalization, Civilization and Their Discontents

In one of his final works, Freud contemplated the profound uneasiness of the world through the lens of the turmoil of the early twentieth century: “Civilized society is perpetually menaced with disintegration through this primary hostility of men towards one another” (Civilization and its Discontents, 1929). This volume, using Freud’s perspective as a starting point, examines the idea that “civilization” has been transformed and made problematic through the impact of globalization in its many contested manifestations. In a post-colonial, political context, the notion of civilization as a consensus of values may have been discredited; it may also represent humane standards under assault by new forms of barbarism. The diverse essays here demonstrate that globalization requires us to look beyond neighborhood, nation, or region, and address the perplexing area of globalization that has, in one way or another, become central to the discourse of education abroad.

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