The non-European world in the Tocqueville’s thought: The west and the rest

Abstract

Tocqueville’s thoughts on non-Occidental peoples and cultures are led by two main concerns. Firstly, he is worried about the role that France should play in the future international scene foreseeing the Ottoman Empire’s disassembling. But there is also a genuine intellectual interest on Muslim, Chinese and Amerindian religions, customs and mentality. His texts and comments about these regions show Tocqueville as Eurocentric, but very curious about those who are different, and sometimes critical with Europeans, with hopes in the future and always with doses of lucidity.