Samuel P. Huntington

American political scientist (1927–2008)

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Lived 1927–2008, aged 81United States

United States AcademicsAcademic

Wikipedia
67 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1927–2008
Aged 81
Awards
3
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

He predicted the future would pit civilization against civilization, not state against state — and that Islam and the West were on a collision course. The thesis landed in 1993 like a ticking clock, and it's still assigned, debated, and cited more than almost any other political scientist in American classrooms.

Biography

About

Samuel Phillips Huntington spent most of his career at Harvard, where he directed the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and held an endowed chair. During the Carter administration, he left campus briefly to coordinate security planning for the National Security Council. In 1993 he published the "Clash of Civilizations" theory, arguing that post–Cold War conflict would unfold along cultural fault lines rather than ideological ones, with Islamic civilization posed as the chief challenge to Western dominance. The framework became one of the most disputed ideas in modern political scien…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Samuel P. Huntington

Samuel P. Huntington

said2004

The rewards of an increasingly integrated global economy have brought forth a new global elite.

— "Dead Souls: The Denationalization of the American Elite", The National Interest, No. 75 (Spring 2004), pp. 5-18

Samuel P. Huntington

said2004

For almost four centuries, the Anglo-Protestant culture of the founding settlers has been the central and the lasting component of American identity.

— "Dead Souls: The Denationalization of the American Elite", The National Interest, No. 75 (Spring 2004), pp. 5-18

Samuel P. Huntington

said2004

Millions of immigrants and their children achieved wealth, power and status in American society precisely because they assimilated themselves into the prevailing American culture.

— "Dead Souls: The Denationalization of the American Elite", The National Interest, No. 75 (Spring 2004), pp. 5-18

Samuel P. Huntington

said2004

Religiosity distinguishes America from most other Western societies. Americans are also overwhelmingly Christian, which distinguishes them from many non-Western peoples.

— "Dead Souls: The Denationalization of the American Elite", The National Interest, No. 75 (Spring 2004), pp. 5-18

Samuel P. Huntington

said2004