European launch for ’Encounters with Civilisations’
A new book exploring people's experience and tensions of dealing with civilizations and cultures different from their own is now available in mainland Europe after its initial release by Transaction Publishers in the USA in February. ' Encounters with Civilizations: From Alexander the Great to Mother Teresa ', by University of Birmingham sociologist Dr Gëzim Alpion looks at four different countries bringing together themes such as history, the media, social issues and politics to assess the export of culture. The fifteen essays, which are selected and introduced by Canadian scholar Gaston Roberge, cover Albania, Egypt, the United Kingdom and India, and explore how these countries have been shaped by different cultures. In an age of mass communication and global migration the book raises important issues about citizenship, multiculturalism and integration. Alpion explains: ' Civilizations can co-exist, but not if some are written off as footnotes while others impose themselves as the norm. ' The book explores how Egyptian culture and politics have been shaped by foreign domination while retaining ancient customs at the social level. In comparison, Great Britain has been an imperial power whose cultural pre-eminence has shaped the images of smaller countries in the eyes of the world.
