Theoretical and Practical Challenges to Francis Fukayama s End of History Thesis

Abstract

Francis Fukayama in his discussion of the Islamist movement and its threat to modernity utilizes a certain logic of history. Societies through their governments evolve in a gradual, linear process until they reach a final form characterized by liberal, democratic capitalism-the famous end of history thesis-as exemplified by Western countries. Fukayama universalizes this conception of history because, according to him, it is based on the scientific method of interpretation, and, thus, proceeds to explain the events in the Muslim/Arab world through this prism of historiography. However, it is the purpose of this paper to challenge Fukayama 's language of history as being more ideological rather than scientific, and posit an alternate and more scientific model of historiography as developed by Manuel De Landa. Various interpretations of the Islamist movement provide support for De Landa 's method of looking at history. On a more practical level, the failure of several development projects shows the danger of taking on the neo-liberal, market-oriented vision as the ultimate paradigm for societies, as advocated by Fukayama