ABSTRACT
What do we mean by postwesternization, and what are the implications of postwesternization for Europe? Postwesternization suggests a process, or series of processes, which is leading to the de-unifi cation of the West, and, at the same time, a displacement of the idea of ‘the West’ from a central position in the way we think about self and others. Postwesternization is a designation which suggests that the West has ceased to exist as a meaningful entity, that it has been superseded, or at least that it is undergoing serious transformation. Whereas it was once possible to view the West as a coherent geopolitical presence it is no longer possible to do this. There is no longer a unity to the West, with Europe and the United States diverging in important respects, and elements of what was previously the nonWest are now indistinguishable from it. But postwesternization is more than a new description of geopolitical realities. It is also a process which informs social scientifi c thinking in such a way as to de-universalize the West, increase awareness of other non-Western perspectives and, looking ahead to Chapter 8, points to the possibility that a multiplicity of worlds may exist.
