Barbarians Quote by Neal Ascherson
““By the middle twentieth century, few European nation-states had not at one time or another figured themselves as 'the outpost of Western Christian civilisation': France, imperial Germany, the Habsburg Reich, Poland with its self-image as przedmurze (bastion), even tsarist Russia. Each of these nation-state myths identified "barbarism" as the condition or ethic of their immediate eastward neighbour: for the French, the Germans were barbarous, for the Germans it was the Slavs, for the Poles the Russians, for the Russians the Mongol and Turkic peoples of Central Asia and eventually the Chinese.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Europe’s Lost World by Neal Ascherson, 1995
European powers historically framed eastern neighbors as barbaric to justify imperial ambitions and cultural superiority.
In simple terms: Europe saw the east as uncivilized to legitimize domination.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge cultural stereotypes.
Themes
imperialism
identity
othering
nationalism
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- historical analysis
- political discourse
- education
- media representation
Key Concepts
colonialism
cultural hegemony
mythmaking
Questions to Reflect On
- How do modern policies reflect these historic myths?
- What responsibilities do we have to decolonize our worldview?
A Different Perspective
Such narratives oversimplify complex societies and fuel conflict.
![“[Much] as war attracts me and fascinates my mind with its tremendous situations, I feel more deeply every year . . . what vile and wicked folly and barbarism it all is.” quote by Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e15/winston-churchill-95_barbarism_much-as-war-attracts-me-and-fascinates-m_68452.jpg)
