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‘East versus West’: Beyond Dichotomy and towards an Acknowledgement of Differences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2024

Junzo Kawada
Junzo Kawada*
Affiliation:
Kanagawa University, Yokohama, Japan

Extract

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The theme ‘East versus west’ is an old topic for discussion, but one that is constantly being rehashed. Though it has many aspects, a number of elements remain vague. Do East and West each form a monolithic bloc? Where does the East begin in the West's eyes, and vice versa, the West for the East? What, if any, are the basic differences separating the two?

Palaeontologists tell us that a dividing line indicating a divergence of traditions in stone tools can be traced back to the Lower Palaeolithic era, that is, a million years ago, in the western region of India. To the east of that line, in other words in East and South-east Asia, the most common tools are choppers and chopping-tools, while to the west, in western Asia, Europe and Africa, the main tools are hand-axes. The former are suitable for working vegetable materials and making bamboo or wooden, therefore perishable, objects, which for this reason leave no trace in the form of archaeological clues. The hand-axes are capable of being worked into stylized shapes and are appropriate for dismembering large herbivores and cutting up their meat.

Type
Research Article
Information
Diogenes , Volume 50 , Issue 4: From East to West - Civilizations in a Looking-Glass: 50 Years, 1952-2002 , November 2003 , pp. 95 - 103
Copyright
Copyright © ICPHS 2003

References

Notes

1. François Bordes, Typologie du Paléolithique Ancien et Moyen, Paris, CNRS, 1960, pp. 69-70.

2. Takeru Akazawa, ‘Introduction: human evolution, dispersals and adaptive strategies’, in Takeru Akazawa and Emöke J. E. Szathmary (eds), Prehistoric Mongoloid Dispersals, Oxford/New York/ Tokyo, Oxford University Press, 1996, pp. 1-37.

3. Junzo Kawada, ‘Victimes ou agresseurs? A propos des émigrants japonais de l’époque contemporaine’, in Françoise Barret-Ducrocq (ed.), Migrations et errances, Paris, Grasset, 2000, pp. 234-9.

4. Olivier Horn, Kiju Yoshida rencontre Madame Butterfly, Paris, Sépia production, 1993 (Grand Premier Prix, 17th UNESCO International Festival of Art Films).

5. Junzo Kawada, ‘Beyond Cultural Relativism and Globalism: A Proposal to Deepen Cultural Awareness through “Trialogues”‘, in Dialogue of Civilizations: Cultural Diversity in the Organization of Global Society, Tokyo, United Nations University (forthcoming).