The Fear of Barbarians

Tzvetan Todorov is an independent scholar

Introduction: Between fear and resentment Notes to introduction 1. Barbarism and civilisation Being a barbarian Being civilised From civilisation to cultures An Enlightenment heritage Judging cultures Technology and works of art A dream of Enlightenment Civilisation and colonisation Some misunderstandings Notes to chapter 1 2. Collective identities The plurality of cultures Culture as construction The functions of culture States and nations The fragile State A State without culture? Moral and political values A ministry of identity Culture and values Notes to chapter 2 3. The War of the Worlds Make love or war? Religious wars and political conflicts Men like us? The Manichean vision Islamism and totalitarianism The war on terrorism The end and the means Torture: the facts Torture: the debate Notes to chapter 3 4. Steering between the reefs Murder in Amsterdam The anti-Islamic combat The Danish caricatures The reactions A few reflections The Pope's speech By way of Islam Notes to chapter 4 5. European identity In search of an identity Plurality as the basis of unity Forms of coexistence The cosmopolitan model Europe in the West The frontiers of Europe Notes to chapter 5 Beyond Manicheism Acknowledgments