Cultural essentialism divides civilizations and serves as a pillar of race making

Evidence

“Orientalists divided human societies into civilizations that have a core set of values that drive their progress (or lack thereof). The people who inhabit these civilizations were said to have a cultural ‘essence’ that explains who they are across time. Essentialism of this sort is one of the pillars of race making.” Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire: 20 Years after 9/11 (Verso, 2021), 19. — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 1277 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Yet civilization and race are not identical. People of the same race can be deeply divided by civilization; people of different races may be united by civilization. In particular, the great missionary religions, Christianity and Islam, encompass societies from a variety of races. The crucial distinctions among human groups concern their values, beliefs, institutions, and social structures, not their physical size, head shapes, and skin colors. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 111 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Emphasizing essential cultural difference feeds the clash-of-civilizations frame — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 256; Orientalist civilizational essentialism is a pillar of race making — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 1277; Civilizational essentialism is a pillar of racial categorization. (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Orientalist civilizational essentialism is a pillar of race making #corroborates (0.95) — Khaled A. Beydoun, The New Crusades_ Islamophobia and the…, 1277
• Civilizational essentialism is a pillar of racial categorization. #corroborates (0.93)
• Civilization and race are not identical, and culture outranks physical traits in dividing humanity #qualifies (0.75) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 111