"
Civilization Theory and the Global Culture ” by Prof. Dr. Mohammad
Mehdi Tavassoli
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mehdi
Tavassoli, Director General, Cultural Center of the Islamic Republic
of Iran was invited by the Directorate of Student/External Affairs
to deliver a lecture under the Personality Development Program lecture
series on May 23, 2007.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tavassoli participated in
around thirty International Congresses, Conferences & Seminars.
More than fifty articles of Prof. Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tavassoli have
been published in Research and Cultural Periodicals in Iran, Pakistan
and India.
He worked as Vice Chancellor, Islamic Open University,
Kurramabad, as Chairman of Sub-Continent Research Institute, University
of Sistan & Baluchistan, Zahidan, as Advisor to the Islamic World
Encyclopedia, Sub-Continent Section, Tehran, as member of Archeological
Research Council, Board of University Curriculum & Studies. His
other assistances include Guide and Advisor to master level and Ph.D.
students in Iran & Pakistan.
The topic of his lecture was “Theory of the Civilization
and the Global Culture” which provided very conceptual information
about the Civilization and Global Culture to the faculty and students.
He started his lecture by giving reference to the
report published by the National Arts Council of Pakistan. The report
under the title of “The Culture of Pakistan”, edited by Dr. Laiq Babri,
contains six articles about civilization art and culture written by
the famous scholars and academicians of Pakistan. The protection of
the global culture diversity has been emphasized throughout the articles.
In his lecture he discussed the various aspects as well as the present
situation of the global culture.
“The concept of the global culture that entered into
the intellectual field, with all its apparent glamour cannot be accepted
without hesitation and it became the matter of discord among the intellectuals
to such an extent that it is reversed into opposite meaning”.
He also made it clear that some of the social thinkers
believe that the prevailing perceptions and methodology of the social
sciences cannot help in perceiving the present global social diversities
and the intricate structure of the human society.
Discussing the position of civilization in the global
culture, he said that the theory of civilization supports the existence
of the smaller cultures but also considers their protection essential
for the progress and safety of the collective civilization. The theory
of the civilization can help to reach a new concept of the global
culture.
The theory of civilization against the theory of
global culture is not in the favor of dissolving the smaller cultures.
it not only supports the existence of smaller cultures but also considers
their protection essential for the progress and safety of the collective
civilization. The culture that is rooted out from its origin is completely
transformed into part of an alien phenomenon.
The theory of civilization can help not only to reach
a new concept of the global culture but also assist in discovering
a different meaning of cultural plurality that is neither productive
nor mortifying.
In the end he summarized this discussion with the
following points:
1) - We intend to protect the cultural diversity
of a domain with adopting the term “civilization–framework”.
2) - In fact the religion and language play an important
role in demarcating the civilization.
3) -The religious framework may have such a status
that can play the role in determining some of the standards and values
of an area of the civilizations.
4)-The global culture cannot attain an acceptable
identified form without paying attention to “the cultural world” and
to “the diversity of the national, tribal and local cultures”.
This lecture is followed
by Question & Answer session in which students and faculty members
asked different topic related questions.
