Civilizationism emerged as non-Western nations in Eurasia sought to define their identities in order to resist the spread of liberal democratic ideals following the end of the Cold War. A “civilizational state” refers to a nation that adopts civilizationism as its core ideology. Representative examples of such states include Russia, China, Türkiye, and India. Initially, these nations adopted a defensive posture; however, as the U.S.-centered unipolar order has begun to waver and the international standing of non-Western nations, including China, has risen, they have shifted to an offensive stance. In 2023, China designated its version of civilizationalism as “Xivilization(Xi Jinping Civilization).” Xivilization is characterized by a Confucian-socialist civilizational model and the concept of “Tianxia.” Domestically, the Chinese Communist Party has utilized the Confucian-Socialist civilization model to attempt the indigenization of Marxism, which originated in the Soviet Union. Externally, “Tianxia” has been proposed as an alternative order to replace the liberal international order. Through historical statecraft that leverages history, the Chinese Communist Party has sought to position itself not only as the guardian and inheritor of Chinese civilization but also as the rightful steward responsible for the future of both China and the world. China’s historical statecraft has the following shortcomings. One is the dogma of history, which carries the risk of making the Chinese people prisoners of history. Another is the selective use of history. China is utilizing selective memory and a reconstructed version of history to claim its rightful place in the international community. Civilizationism is a more dangerous ideology than nationalism; just as nationalism has been scrutinized, civilizationism must be monitored with even greater intensity.
Inhee Kim (Sun,) studied this question.