Recasting civilizational dialogue in digital age: Harmony amid diversity

Chinese and American students practice calligraphy during a cultural event at Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, August 10, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

By Yuan Sha

The world is currently grappling with unprecedented cultural clashes and identity crises, evidenced by the rising tide of estrangement between the West and the rest, as well asgeopolitical tensions along cultural fault lines such as in the Middle East and the Eurasian continent. The longstanding Western notion of "civilizational superiority" has only deepened global divisions, a situation further exacerbated by algorithmic echo chambers that amplify biases and polarization.

Amidst this backdrop, cross-cultural exchange emerges as a vital lifeline to bridge these divides and foster peaceful and inclusive development. The forthcoming Ministerial Meeting of the Global Civilizations Dialogue represents a commendable endeavor to re-imaginecivilizational dialogue in the digital age, aiming to unite cultures and promote co-development within a shared global community.

Cultural clashes in the digital age

Western-centristcultural hegemony, with the pervasive influence of the Western news media, pop culture, universities, and Hollywood, has marginalized non-Western cultures and aggravated the global cultural complexes.

From Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" to Francis Fukuyama's "End of History," Western political theories often rest on the premise of inherent civilizational conflict or competition. Such a zero-sum cultural perspective merely perpetuates cultural tensions, fostering an environment of division and mistrust.

This cultural divide is widened by Western technological dominance. While digital platforms promise to connect people worldwide, U.S. tech giants maintain a tight grip on digital cultural content. According to statistics,English accounts for almost half of internet content, and artificial intelligence (AI) models, such as OpenAI, also exhibit an inherent English bias. This digital imbalance of power reinforces Western cultural hegemony, eroding the heritage of non-Western cultures.

Acall for civilizational dialogue

In stark contrast to the Western paradigm of civilization conflict, numerous countries globally are advocating for the resolution of cultural tensions through increased cultural exchanges.

China has been an ardent advocate for civilizational dialogue. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) in 2023, emphasizing the importance of respecting civilizational diversity and pursuing common human values. The essence of GCI lies in the belief that cultural exchanges can transcend estrangement, mutual learning can transcend clashes, and coexistence can transcend feelings of superiority.

On June 7, 2024, the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a China-proposed resolution, declaring June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. Co-sponsored by over 80 countries and supported by many others, this resolution drew attention to the urgency of civilizational dialogues in addressing the rising tide of cultural tensions.

This year, the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Civilizations Dialogue convenes ministers from around the world to further deliberate on this matter and propose concrete actions for cross-cultural exchanges and mutual learning, whichpresents a pivotal opportunity to redefine cross-cultural engagement in our fragmented world.

Harmony in diversity

In reimagining civilizational dialogue in the digital age, the Confucian maxim of "harmony in diversity" offers profound insight: coexistence and harmony through cultural diversity, rather than uniformity or homogeneity. In an era of digital polarization, this Chinese wisdom reminds us that vibrant cultural diversity and inclusive developmentare crucial for realizing the ultimate vision of a shared future for humanity.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an exemplar. The BRI has made remarkable progress in investingin not only infrastructurebut also digital and cultural projects, which aim at improving the connectivity of people and cultures.

The TikTok tag "#IntangibleCulturalHeritage" has proven effective in advocating for diverse cultures and facilitating cross-cultural exchanges. When American "TikTok refugees" migrated to China's homegrown social media platform Xiaohongshu, they were warmly welcomed by Chinese netizens, inadvertently transforming this American "digital rebellion" into a grand festival of China-U.S. digital cultural exchange. These examples illustrate how technologies can promote cultural exchange, revive traditions and amplify diversity.

The philosophy and practices of "harmony in diversity" demonstrate that true globalization necessitates ecosystems where civilizations co-evolve. Nevertheless, amidst the current counter-globalization trend, it requires greater insight and wisdom to transform these ideas into concrete practices, further fostering a more inclusive and harmonious world.

Yuan Sha, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN,isdeputy director at the Department for Global Governance and International Organization Studies under the China Institute of International Studies.