India: A Nation-State or Civilisation

A country is considered to be a civilisation state when it not only reflects a historical area, ethnolinguistic group, or body of governance, but also a civilization that is distinct in and of itself. It differs from the idea of a nation state in that it describes the predominant sociopolitical forms of a country as establishing a category that is wider than a particular nation. When determining whether nations are considered to be civilization states, It is common practise to give weight to the extent to which a nation’s history and culture are consistent across a vast geographical area. The phrase was initially coined in the 1990s as a method to describe China. However, it has since been used to describe other countries as well, including the United States of America, Egypt, Russia, India, and Turkey.

The meaning of civilization state

The emergence of civilizational nations as a fundamental feature in international politics is a relatively new and startling development. In the 1990s, the US political scientist Samuel P. Huntington (1993, 1996) predicted that the world after the Cold War would be characterised by a “clash of civilizations,” which brought the topic of civilizations into the arena of international relations. Jacques, a British journalist and independent researcher, came up with the notion of “civilization-state” in 2009 as a way to characterise China. He was referring particularly to the fact that China has maintained its status as a political entity for an exceptionally long time. The brief but significant identification offered by Jacques was picked up and expanded upon with zeal by the Chinese scholar Zhang (2012). To term a state civilizational or a civilization-state is to give culture a primacy in comprehending it. Even while a nation might be considered a cultural entity or referent in its own right, this is one method to differentiate it from nation-states. Now that the scope of the concept has been expanded from a Chinese peculiarity to a type of states that are even being considered as possibly overtaking nation-states and becoming the typical state of the twenty-first century, at least of large ones, there is a need for a clarification of the meaning of a nation-state and its differences and eventual similarities with its new conceptual challenger. This is because the range of the concept has expanded from a Chinese particularity to a type of states that are even being contemplated Every modern state is a nation-state, which is a state that claims to represent and embody a single nation or multiple nations if it is a binational or multinational state. 

The former category includes countries such as Canada, while the later category includes Bolivia and South Africa. There are still certain authoritarian dynasty monarchs located on the Arab peninsula that are considered non-modern governments according to the majority of broad concepts of political modernity. These kingdoms are among the few remaining non-national states in the world.Culture is an essential component of the idea of a nation, 

despite the fact that different national cultures not only differ in terms of their substance but also in the underlying ideas that underpin their development. Therefore, the concept of “culturalization” can never be entirely absent from a nation-state.

Civilization-state definition

The concept of a “nation state” gained widespread acceptance during the 19th century. 

It’s possible that the 21st century will be known as the “civilization state.”

A country is considered to be a civilisation state when it asserts that it represents not only a historic area, a particular language, or an ethnic group, but also a distinct civilisation. 

It is a notion that is gaining traction in countries as disparate as China, India, Russia, Turkey, and even the United States of America.

There is a strong tendency toward illiberalism in the implications of the idea of the civilization state.

It suggests that attempts to define universal human rights or shared democratic principles are heading in the wrong direction, since each civilization needs political structures that reflect its own distinctive culture.

The concept of a state based on a civilization is also exclusive. 

Due to the fact that they are not a part of the primary civilisation, minority groups and migrants might never be accepted.

It should not come as a surprise that certain thinkers in nations such as China, India, or Russia would like to emphasise the unique characteristics of their own civilisations. 

The global system has been shaped mostly by the western world. 

Surprisingly, right-wing thinkers in the United States are also moving away from the concept of “universal values” in favour of emphasising the distinctive and ostensibly imperilled nature of western civilisation.

The distinction between a nation and its civilisation

The distinction between a nation and a civilization lies in the fact that a nation is a historically constituted, stable community of people, 

formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, ethnicity and/or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture or nation can be damnation. 

On the other hand, a civilization is an organised culture that encompasses many communities, 

often on the scale of a nation or a people; a stage or system of social, political, or technical development

Those people of the world who are considered to have a high standard of behaviour and/or a high level of development are referred to as members of the civilised world.

The term “civilization” is commonly used by members of one society to exclusively refer to their society, or their elite sub-group, or a few associated societies, implying that all others, regardless of time, geography, or status, are considered to be “savages” or “barbarians.” 

Conclusion

Because it encompasses society in addition to its history and culture, the term “civilization” has a considerably broader meaning than “nation” and “state.”

Even though India is home to an old civilisation, the modern nation of India didn’t come into being until long after it gained its independence from the British Empire. 

Nevertheless, the operation of a specific state is equally dependent on the historical context and culture of that state. 

The idea of civilization becomes significant when viewed from this angle. 

Understanding a civilization and the culture it upholds becomes significantly more crucial as a result of the concept of political systems, which relies on taking a holistic picture of a state. 

The structures of government can be borrowed, but the functioning and process of government is unquestionably determined by the culture and conduct of the people.