James Kierstead on Ancient Greece, Christianity, and the West | Quillette Cetera Ep. 63
Does “the West” actually exist — or is it merely a modern political myth?
James Kierstead
Dr James Kierstead is a Research Fellow at the New Zealand Initiative think tank. Victoria University of Wellington recently disestablished his position as Senior Lecturer in Classics.
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8 articles
What Makes the West Western?
Naoíse Mac Sweeney’s new book tries to convince readers that Western civilisation doesn’t exist.
Monogamy and the Making of Western Civilisation
The institution of monogamy in Classical Greece may have led to a host of phenomena that shaped the modern West: from individualism and abstract thinking to liberalism and democracy.
The Elgin Marbles: Playing for Keeps
The Ancient Greek sculptures are a bellwether of where the “decolonization” of museums is headed.
Are the Classics Complicit in White Supremacy?
No reason to believe that classics as a field has had any particular tendency towards white supremacism either in the present or in the past.
Is Western Civilization Uniquely Bad?
If we are looking for a civilization that never engaged in mass violence or destruction, we’re unlikely to find one.
Is Western Civilization a Thing?
Appiah is wrong to pretend that distinct civilizations were never a thing.
The Future of Our Ancient Past
There’s nothing wrong with teaching Western Civilization or the Western classics alongside other cultural traditions. At the same time, the way Classics used to be taught is gone for good.