Ahmet Davutoğlu - Pivot Cities in the Rise and Fall of Civilizations

Pivot Cities in the Rise and Fall of Civilizations

Based on the authors long experience in academic life and the public realm, especially in foreign policy, this book argues that a single categoric classification of cities is inadequate and that cities have had different and varied impacts and positions throughout the history of civilization.

The author examines how the formation, transformation, destruction, or reestablishment of many civilizational cities reveals a clearer picture of the cornerstones of the course of human history. These cities, which play a decisive and pivotal role in the direction of the flow of history, as well as providing us with a compass to guide our efforts to understand and interpret this flow, are conceptualized by the author as civilizations pivot cities. This innovative book explores the role of great cities in political historical change, presenting an alternative view of these pivot cities from a culturalist perspective. Within this framework, the role played by pivot cities in the history of civilization may be considered under seven distinct headings: pioneering cities which founded civilizations; cities which were founded by civilizations; cities which were transplanted during the formation of civilizations; ghost cities which lost their importance through shifts in political power and civilizational transformation; lost cities which were destroyed by civilizations; cities on lines of geocultural/geoeconomic interaction; and cities which combine, transform, or are transformed by different civilizations. The authors concept of pivot cities explores the interplay between vital cities and civilizations, which bears on the future of globalization at a time of instability, as projected continuing de-Westernization becomes a theme in studies of global history.

This book provides highly productive discussions relevant to the literature on citycivilization relationships and the historicity of pivot cities. Its clear language, rich content, deep and original perspective, interdisciplinary approach, and rich bibliography will ensure that it appeals to students and scholars in a variety of disciplines, including cultural studies, political science, comparative urban studies, anthropology, history, and civilizational studies.

Ahmet Davutolu served as the Prime Minister of the 62nd, 63rd, and 64th governments of the Republic of Turkey. Prior to this, he was Chief Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is the first leader of the newly formed Future Party (Gelecek Partisi). In his academic career, he has held the position of professor at Marmara and Beykent Universities, Turkey, and the International Islamic University of Malaysia. He is the author of many books including Alternative Paradigms (1994), Civilizational Transformation and the Muslim World (1994), Stratejik Derinlik (Strategic Depth) (2001), and Systemic Earthquake and the Struggle for World Order (2020). He has received several awards, including the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service in 2010. He was named as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine in 2012.

Innovations in International Affairs

Series Editor: Raffaele Marchetti, LUISS Guido Carli, Italy

Innovations in International Affairs aims to provide cutting-edge analyses of controversial trends in international affairs with the intent to innovate our understanding of global politics. Hosting mainstream as well as alternative stances, the series promotes both the re-assessment of traditional topics and the exploration of new aspects.
The series invites both engaged scholars and reflective practitioners, and is committed to bringing non-western voices into current debates.
Innovations in International Affairs is keen to consider new book proposals in the following key areas:

Titles in this series include:

The World Corona Changed
US, China and Middle Powers in the New International Order
Renato G. Flres Jr.

For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/Innovations-in-International-Affairs/book-series/IIA

Pivot Cities in the Rise and Fall of Civilizations

Ahmet Davutolu

Translated from the Turkish by Andrew Boord

First published in English 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2022 Ahmet Davutolu

Translated from the Turkish by Andrew Boord

The right of Ahmet Davutolu to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Published in Turkish by Kre Yaynlar, Istanbul in 2016 as Medeniyetler ve ehirler

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book

ISBN: 978-0-367-76386-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-76390-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-16673-3 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003166733

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India

PART I
Intellectual experiences and methodological framework

PART II
The role of pivot cities in the history of civilizations

PART III
Transforming/transformed pivot cities where civilizations meet

This book is an end product of a distinctive intellectual quest along with exchanges with many friends. So many people have played a role in this process that it would be quite impossible to acknowledge all of them here.

I would like first to express my appreciation and thanks to my dear friend Richard Falk for his encouragement and support for the English edition, similar to his contributions to my other works.

I would also like to express my thanks to Raffaele Marchetti, the series editor, for his encouragement and editorial contributions to this project, and to Emily Ross and Hannah Rich for their efforts and friendly manner throughout the publication process.