Jihad Vs. McWorld
Book Reviewby Paul Grant
In one of the three most important books in the urbana.org library, Jihad Vs. McWorld, Benjamin Barber offers the startling thesis that there are two powerful forces in our world today, Globalization and Disintegration. Globalization partly refers to the integrated global economic system of capitalist pursuit, but more importantly, in Barber's analysis, refers to the Americanization of the world's cultures. Cultural globalization is the more potent form of imperialism ever, because it is several steps ahead of many world leaders, who view international affairs, and colonialism, as essentially political phenomenae.
Globalization for Barber is cultural Americanization, more than economical unification. Around the world, one may find European Dancehall Music, Nigerian Hip Hop, and Japanese jeans. These are American in form, even if they flow out of a distain for America and Americans. One of America's most significant cultural inventions ever came from the African-American community in the 1920s, the invention of Hipness. Hipness is not a natural development in most of the world's cultures, but once caught, it is incredibly contagious. Most of the world's global culture manifestations presuppose the world view of hipness, and strive to be hip.
Disintegration is Barber's second force in the world. It refers to the rising tides of nationalism, ethnic strife and religious coups of political might. Other terms used for this phenomenon are Balkanization and Tribalization. These are the forces that seem most likely to cause blood to flow around the world. These cultural forces of disintegration are the precipitants of violence.
The profundity of Barber's thesis lies in his discovery of the co-dependent nature of these apparently opposed forces. Globalization and Disintegration collaborate in the destruction of the Nation-State model for world affairs. Globalization strips away the sovereign strength of the state, and the intellectual/emotional force of the Imagined Community of the Nation-State.
From a spiritual perspective, this development poses a great opportunity for the gospel. The cohesive Nation-State can assume a semi-idolatrous position in the cultural life of the people. For example, the exalted position the constitution and first amendment hold in the souls of Americans of all walks of life is partly idolatrous and accounts for some of the American church's syntretistic weakness. When globalism washes away the strength of the Nation-State's sovereign identity, a spiritual vacuum is exposed. One of the tasks of the mission-minded Christian is to advance the kingdom of God as opposed to a particular ethnic or nationalistic faith.
Since the September 11 attacks in 2001, several leaders of the non-Western church have implicated American Christians for an alleged marriage to the policies of the secular USA. Whether or not this is a valid accusation, our sisters and brothers in newish states in the Southern regions of the world are in a unique position to pare faith from allegiance to a nation-state.
Benjamin Barber, however, does not have a Christian perspective. Barber is a humanist, and views liberal democracy (little 'L', little 'D') as the most reasonable hope for humanity. He views the decay of the Nation-State's boundaries as a powerful threat to humanity, because of what typically fills the spiritual vacuum left behind: Jihad, or Tribalism, or Disintegration.
To rephrase Prasenjit Duara's strong thesis, while nationalism usually appeals to ancient traditions and ethnic hatreds, these references are often little more than imagination. However, imagined myth, once collectivized, becomes real memory, and real hatred can boil from it. Since the Nation-State usually claims a monopoly on the Nation's official History (henceforth with a capital 'H'), the decay of the nation state leaves an historical vacuum, which becomes a vacuum of identity.
Thus, while the enlightenment-model Nation-State claims objectivity in history, it uses History to bolster its legitimacy. When the Nation-State goes down, it takes its History with it, and the people are left without history.
Into the hole comes a leader who promises to restore ancient glories for a golden future. The leaders of most rogue nations operate from this starting point, triggering chaos and violence on levels unheard of in the glory days.
Since globalism has already destroyed the nation-state, restoration of peace after the genocide cannot be a return to the nation-state, because its legitimacy is nil. At this point, the only hope for peace from the Disintegration is deeper involvement in Global Culture.
Globalism, sometimes called McWorld, presents itself as the savior to the world, the one to bring what is good. As Hegemon, McWorld has the power to define what is good, and those who resist are defined as propegators of violence.
Barber fears the advent of McWorld as a new Totalitanianism, which would sweep human rights aside like the enlightenment did the Bible. Thus he leaves us with a bleak view of the future - straight out of the nightmare envisioned by Max Weber.
As Christians, we do not share this bleak view, because we do not have so much hope vested in democracy, or the nation. We understand that neither patriotism, nor economic success, nor hipness are fruits of the spirit, but that goodness, peace, and love are. Furthermore, we understand that we are not commanded to pursue prosperity, but justice and mercy.
Jihad vs. McWorld is one of the most important analyses of world affairs today. International Journalists and Leaders can easily be divided into those who have read the book, and those who haven't. Barber has shown us what is happening in the world, at a level few thinkers could have. The book leaves us short-changed, because Barber has no God other than democracy, and his God is dying. Read this book. It will help you understand the global dynamic. More importantly, read the Bible. It will answer the question, how should we then live?
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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