Acceso usuarios
Barry Buzan
The �standard of civilisation� has its roots in the culturally widespread trope of �civilised� versus �barbarian�. It took its specific modern form in the 19th century, primarily as a European legal term. No specific set of criteria for the �standard of civilisation� was ever codified, but the general practice was to define the standard by the contemporary forms of government prevailing in Europe. Its political role was to gate-keep membership of international society, and to justify colonialism. The term collapsed after 1945 when the right of self-determination opened membership to nearly all peoples. In the English School literature, the �standard of civilisation� has been used to tell a variety of historical encounter stories, and to critique the School�s neglect of colonialism. Its contemporary relevance in the literature concerns debates about whether human rights, democracy, capitalism and possibly environmentalism are being used to construct a new �standard of civilisation� operationalised through conditionality and other discriminatory practices. Another important link is between the colonial obligation to raise �less advanced� peoples to the standard and the post-1945 obligation to provide aid and development to the �less developed�. The English School concept of the �standard of civilisation� is thus both refreshingly frank politically and of durable relevance for thinking about international relations.
