This book, based on a systematic analysis of their leaders' speeches, examines how authoritarian regimes in Turkey, India, Russia, and China strategically weaponize the concept of 'civilization' and emotional appeal to challenge global liberal democratic norms. As the influence of liberal democracy wanes, these nations increasingly declare themselves civilization-states. By redefining national identity to include peoples living in foreign countries, justifying belligerence abroad, and perpetuating domestic oppression, these regimes position themselves as guardians of transnational peoples with unique civilizational values. This is the first book to explore how and why these regimes leverage civilizationeach with its unique values and ways of organizing societyalong with emotional manipulation, to reshape both domestic and international political affairs.
Chapter 1: Introduction.
Chapter 2: Majoritarian Authoritarian Populism.
Chapter 3: Civilisationalism.
Chapter 4: Religion.
Chapter 5: - The People.
Chapter 6: The Elite.
Chapter 7: The Dangerous Others.
Chapter 8: The Liberal West.
Chapter 9: Foreign Policy.
Ihsan Yilmaz is a Research Chair and Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. He is also Deputy Director (Research Development) at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. Previously, he held positions at the University of Oxford and the University of London. His research interests include digital authoritarianism, nation-building, Islamism, populism, transnationalism, minorities, and intergroup emotions.
Nicholas Morieson is a Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University. He was previously a Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. His research interests include populism, religious nationalism, civilizational politics, intergroup relations, and the intersection of religion and political identity.
