The Important Role of Culture

塞缪尔·亨廷顿 / 劳伦斯·哈里森Xinhua Publishing House · ChinaSep 2025

Rating 4.1
Word count
245K words
Chapters
32
ISBN
9787501190522

Tags

Culture Social ChangeEconomic DevelopmentForces of ChangeAcademic StudyComparative StudyPolitical CultureCultural FactorsCross-Cultural View

Summary

In recent years, the role of culture in human progress has attracted worldwide attention.

This book explores cultural issues from several angles, including culture and economic development, culture and political development, culture and gender, culture and American ethnic minorities, the Asian crisis, and promoting change. Samuel Huntington, an expert on international politics, and Lawrence Harrison, a researcher on international and regional issues, brought together scholars and experts from around the world at a conference held by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on "Cultural Values and Human Progress" to explore such questions as: Which cultures, and to what extent, promote or hinder economic development? What is the relationship between culture and politics, and between culture and democracy? Are some cultures superior to others—should we acknowledge that one culture is better than another, or should we respect all cultures? What role does culture play in gender equality and minority issues? How do cultural factors influence patterns of global economic operation? How should we confront cultural change, and what attitudes and measures should we adopt?

This book will deepen our understanding of and discussion on these many cultural questions.

Editor's review

Originating from the "Cultural Values and Human Progress" symposium convened by Huntington and Harrison with scholars from many countries, this book examines culture in relation to economic development, political development, gender, ethnic minorities, the Asian crisis, and change. Its value lies not in offering a single answer but in breaking the large question of whether and how culture affects progress into debatable specifics: Does culture promote or hinder the economy? What is the link between culture and democracy? Are cultures superior or inferior? These very questions help readers build an analytical framework. Read with a comparative eye, note where authors disagree on the same issue, and avoid taking one chapter's conclusion as the book's stance. Suitable as introductory discussion material for cultural studies, development studies, and international politics.

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Reading tips

  1. Read the introduction or first and last chapters first to grasp the book's central questions and points of debate.
  2. Read by thematic grouping and take comparative notes on economic, political, and gender issues.
  3. After each chapter, note the author's stance and evidence, and mark disagreements with other chapters.
  4. Test the book's frameworks against cases from a country or region you know well.

About the publisher

Xinhua Publishing House China · Founded in 1979

Xinhua Publishing House is known for books on politics, journalism, biography and the social sciences. Its 519 titles in the catalog cover world history, social culture, history reading, military affairs, language and writing, and applied psychology. Representative books include Winston Churchill's multi-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, John Dewey's Art as Experience, Wayne Booth's The Craft of Research, and The Chicago Guide to Writing About Research, as well as military history such as Defeat into Victory: The Decisive Campaign in Burma and India, 1942–1945. Its authors range from international figures such as Churchill, Dewey and Booth to Chinese writers including Wu Hao, Luo Dingzi, Li Xuehua and Zhao Hong, giving the press a distinctive profile that balances classic translation with practical writing and emphasizes both history and the social sciences.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 前言 文化的作用
  3. 绪论 文化为什么重要
  4. 第一部分 文化与经济发展
  5. 第一章 文化使局面几乎完全不一样
  6. 第二章 态度、价值观、信念以及繁荣的微观经济学
  7. 第三章 对新的经济发展社会学的几点看法
  8. 第四章 经济发展的文化分类
  9. 第五章 拉丁美洲：文化与精英行为
  10. 第六章 非洲需要一个文化调整计划吗？
  11. 第二部分 文化与政治发展
  12. 第七章 文化与民主
  13. 第八章 社会资本
  14. 第九章 腐败、文化及市场
  15. 第三部分 人类学家的辩论
  16. 第十章 传统信念与习俗：是否有一些比另一些好？
  17. 第十一章 撒哈拉以南的非洲的文化、儿童及进步
  18. 第十二章 道义地图、“第一世界”的自吹自擂及新福音传道者
  19. 第四部分 文化与性别
  20. 第十三章 文化、性别和人权
  21. 第十四章 拉丁美洲的文化、制度与男女不平等
  22. 第五部分 文化与美国少数民族
  23. 第十五章 认真对待文化：框架及非洲裔美国人实例
  24. 第十六章 解构文化
  25. 第六部分 亚洲危机
  26. 第十七章 法律、家族联系及亚洲经商方式
  27. 第十八章 “亚洲价值观”：从狄纳莫到多米诺？
  28. 第十九章 多重现代性：东亚现代性涵义初步探讨
  29. 第二十章 改变国民的心态：致富过程中的各种因素
  30. 第二十一章 文化、心理模式和国家繁荣
  31. 第二十二章 促进社会进步的文化变革
  32. 译后记

FAQ

Was this book written by Huntington alone? No. Huntington and Harrison convened scholars from many quarters to discuss these issues at the "Cultural Values and Human Progress" symposium held by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It is a collection of essays by multiple authors on a shared theme, so the chapters differ in viewpoint and emphasis.
What stance does the book take on whether cultures are superior or inferior? The introduction shows that the book raises "whether cultures are superior or inferior, whether one culture should be acknowledged as better than another or all cultures respected" as one of its core debates. It brings together discussions by different scholars; readers should focus on the arguments of each side rather than look for a single conclusion, and note each author's assumptions and limits.
Is it suitable as an introductory book? It can serve as an introduction to the issues, but it requires some patience. It covers a wide range, has many authors, and contains much theoretical discussion. It is easier to enter by first reading the introductory chapters to grasp the framework of questions, then reading topics of interest, taking notes where views diverge, rather than reading straight through from beginning to end.

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About the author

塞缪尔·亨廷顿 Author

Samuel Huntington is a foreign scholar whose works are widely read among Chinese readers, with a research vision spanning politics and culture. The library holds three of his books, including Global Politics and the Reconstruction of Culture: Classic Works of Samuel Huntington (4 volumes), Who Are We? The Challenges to America's National Identity, and The Important Role of Culture. These works mostly focus on political change, cultural identity, and national character, combining academic rigor with a debater's edge, and often provoke discussion through grand frameworks and sharp arguments. Public information about his nationality and dates of birth and death is limited, so no speculation is made here. Judging from the works in the library, he examines how culture and politics interact in modern society, and his arguments have resonated in both academia and public debate, often being used by Chinese readers to understand questions of identity and order.

劳伦斯·哈里森 Author

Lawrence Harrison is an author whose writing centers on cultural issues. Publicly available information about him is limited, and details such as his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. One of his works is included in our collection, The Important Role of Culture, which is classified under culture and discusses the function of culture in social life and human behavior, reflecting the author's sustained attention to cultural factors. Judging from the available material, Harrison's writing tends toward macroscopic cultural analysis, seeking to explain how cultural ideas shape group behavior and social development. His prose emphasizes conceptual clarification and argumentation rather than personal narrative. Because background materials are scarce, readers must still rely mainly on this work itself to understand the author and his thinking. For readers who wish to understand social phenomena from a cultural perspective, the book offers a useful analytical framework and remains the main entry point for knowing this author.