EDITORIAL
Brotherhood, Fusion, and Unity on the Road to Civilization
The beginning of imperialism coincides with the emergence of archeology as a discipline. One could argue that both endeavors reflect the "civilized" West’s attempt to distort civilizational history in order to legitimize the pillaging of the riches of "barbarian" communities. As part of these attempts,Eurocentric historiography drew on research in the fields of archaeology, philology, anthropology, philosophy, and literature. It is well known that these studies served as the foundation for an ideological system that allowed the "superior" white man to conquer the territories inhabited by the yellow, dark, and black “barbarians."
The cooperation forged by developing countries on the basis of equality is now expanding into scientific fields in parallel with the multipolarization of world politics and the decline of imperialist hegemony. It can be said that the influence of Western-centered ideological dominance in intellectual activities has started to fade with the growth of scientific cooperation among developing nations. Especially in the area of archaeology, a significant outpouring of research conducted by the scientists of these countries has developed after discarding the Eurocentric approach. Academic collaborations among these nations serve as the foundation for an objective and unbiased examination of civilizational history.
In the current period, the downfall of the capitalist-imperialist system is currently being observed not just in terms of its economic and political consequences but also in terms of its social and cultural repercussions. Humanity will rot and perish if this system, in which man is alienated from both man and nature, is allowed to continue. Under these conditions, there is no way out but to establish a system in which man and nature live in harmony. In establishing this system, we must re-visit and embrace our cultural and civilizational roots. The history of civilizations is the collective history of the peoples who now inhabit the various borders and continents. Starting from Göbeklitepe, Anatolian and Mesopotamian cultures and civilizations, Egyptian, Roman, Persian, Greek, Byzantine, Chinese, Indian, Turkish, Islamic civilizations, Scythian, Etruscan, Aztec, Maya, Inca, Phoenician, Carthage, this is all humanity's common heritage. Ancient civilizations that have left their marks on human history have crossed paths along the Silk Road. By enabling the exchange of goods, ideas, and innovations in science and technology, the Silk Road functioned as a link between civilizations. Its significance goes beyond this, though. The Silk Road is like a melting pot where spiritual culture is shared along with material cultural products throughout the ages. The Silk Road of the 21st Century, the largest platform for international cooperation in existence today, or the Belt and Road Initiative, is the route that will combine the civilizational accumulation that humanity has amassed over thousands of years and allow for the development of a new civilization.
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We have exciting news for our readers as BRIQ wraps up its third year with this issue. Engraving its success in the field of academic publishing with its 12th issue, BRIQ has achieved a very important success in the international arena. Our journal has initiated a publishing collaboration with Northwest Polytechnic University (NPU), one of the top 25 universities in China. NPU will contribute to the BRIQ’s work by assigning two members to the Editorial Board and a Co-Editor-in-Chief, and join as a partner in paying the publishing costs. Partnership with NPU will mark the beginning of long-lasting collaborations with other universities in the developing world. BRIQ, an original scholarly journal in every way, is sailing towards greater success.
Fikret AKFIRAT
Editor-in-Chief