Keywords
civilizations, cycles, interdependence
Abstract
Civilizations have rarely been approached as systems of interdependence and strain. Most modern theories have oscillated between cyclical visions of rise and fall and static conceptions of blocs defined by cultural essence. Both perspectives have offered sweeping interpretations, but both also detached civilizations from the environments of pressure and interaction in which they have always existed. To reframe civilizations as relational processes requires both recognition of their internal dynamics and attention to the external conditions that compel their transformation.
Recommended Citation
Michelino, Arthur
(2026)
"Extending Norbert Elias: Adjacency and the Dynamics of Civilizations,"
Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 94:
No.
94, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol94/iss94/7
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