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European Universalism: The Rhetoric of Power. Immanuel Wallerstein. New York: The New Press. 2006. 94 pages. $14.95.
In European Universalism, Immanuel Wallerstein treats the most subtle and hidden forms of power in the contemporary world system-the ideological structures that undergird and provide legitimacy for the more overt exercise of political and economic power. From the very beginnings of the world system some 500 years ago, Euro-American leaders have developed and espoused ideologies that justify Western power on the grounds that it is based on universal values and natural law. Western action is thus presented as a benevolent vehicle for the spread of the common good. Wallerstein defines three main varieties of universalism that appear in contemporary discussions: 1) assertions of the right to intervene in the affairs of other nations based on appeals to human rights and democracy; 2) the "clash of civilizations" rhetoric in which the West is under threat by a dark and dangerous "other"; and 3) appeals to the scientific truths of the market that underlie neoliberal economic policies. The primary aim of the book is to draw out the historical roots of these ideologies and to indicate that, just as the world system is at a stage of structural crisis, so too are its ideological supports. As such, Wallerstein sees an opportunity to arrive at a truly "universal universalism" in which ideas are not mere weapons for justifying domination.
The basis of the book is a series of three lectures originally presented at St. John's College of the University of British Columbia. Each lecture appears as a chapter and takes us through one of three major forms of European Universalism. Of particular value is a fourth essay written for the book to draw out the primary themes and clarify the most important questions and issues raised in the preceding chapters. Since the lectures were planned as a series, the book does not suffer from the common flaws of many volumes of collected essays or lectures. Rather, it provides a relatively singular and coherent narrative with minimal overlap and redundancy.
The first chapter traces the roots of interventionist doctrines back to the sixteenth century debate between the Spanish priest Bartholomé de Las Casas and philosopher/theologian Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda. The primary issue...