The Clash of Civilizations: Modernization and Tradition in the Lives of Chumikan Residents

As an addition to the description of the global opposition between civilizations described by Samuel Huntington in his highly acclaimed book “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order,” this article provides slightly more modest insight into the opposition between civilization masquerading as modernization and the tradition that tries to resist its pressure. To this end, the individual biographies of a Yakut named Ivanov, an Evenk named Chepalov, a Russian named Zhukov and a Latvian named Prus that all used to live or still live in the Tuguro-Chumikan district of Russia’s Khabarovsk Region are examined in order to elaborate on the course of this confrontation. The article suggests that the most effective strategy for those living in zones where modernization and tradition come into conflict is to carefully borrow some of the elements from the opposing camp and make use of the opportunities this provides while keeping close connections to their own culture. If this kind of balance fails, the outcome can be tragic for both the traditional culture (that may simply vanish) and for the expanding civilization. If it goes too far in trying to transform a tradition that opposes it, a civilization may lose touch with its own nature and ultimately be absorbed by the tradition it opposes.