Intercivilizational

Intercivilizational is an adjective describing relations, exchanges, and interactions between two or more broad civilizational groups. In scholarly usage, civilizational denotes large-scale social orders defined by cohesive cultural, religious, linguistic, and institutional traits that persist across regions and generations. The term emphasizes cross-civilizational contact beyond intra-cultural exchange.

The concept spans diplomacy, trade, science, religion, art, education, and political ideas. It contrasts with intercultural, which often describes interactions within a single society that houses multiple cultures; intercivilizational tends to reference interactions among distinct civilizational blocs or traditions.

Historical examples include the Silk Road exchanges among East Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, and European polities; Indian Ocean networks linking Africa, the Arab world, and Asia; and trans-Saharan commerce. In the modern era, intercivilizational contact shapes international diplomacy, regional integration, and debates about civilizational identity.

The concept faces critiques for risk of essentializing civilizations, ignoring internal diversity, and complicating security studies with civilizational binaries. Proponents emphasize dialogue, cultural diplomacy, and inclusive cooperation to address shared challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and global governance.

See also intercultural dialogue, civilizational exchange, soft power, and international relations theory.