In light of examples, examine the claim that individualism is a Western ideology

... In the light of examples, examine the claim that 'individualism' is a western ideology. To understand if individualism is a distinctly western ideology this essay will trace the various histories of the word back to its roots in Enlightenment thought. It will then look to non-western societies and the use of ethnography to see if the dialectic of individualism as opposed to collectivism is useful and to what extent a certain non-western society displays characteristics of individualism. Finally is will look at more long term conceptions of the individual and see if characteristics of individualism can be traced back further that western thought. Firstly a definition of western. This is surprisingly hard to come by considering is wide usage in anthropological discourse. The fact this term has been taken for granted has been noted by theorists such as David Graeber. For the purpose of this essay it will mean modern western European,

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