Abstract
Civilizational order refers to the configuration of relations among civilizations in the world. Civilizations as collective social entities in space and time have always been a source of fascination for scholars throughout history from diverse disciplines, who question what constitutes a civilization, whether it is one or many, what is distinctive about each one, as well as the reasons for their rise and demise. Since the time of its founder Ibn Khaldūn, civilizational studies has played a significant role in understanding the world order on a macro- and microlevel. Social sciences observe and analyze civilizations in themselves and also their changing relations with each other. We can divide the history of civilizational order into three periods: ancient and medieval civilizational order with closed civilizations; modern civilizational order with the hegemony of western civilization; and postmodern civilizational order with open civilizations. Accordingly, these time periods enable us to make sense of how the world has been and could be, and what role civilizational social actors play in the hegemonic world order and how they interact with each other.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |