Eurocentrism can be defined as, how the world is seen from the perspective of the western world. Eurocentrism is a many-faced concept and it is a complex concept that has been evolving for a few hundred years.
Origin of Eurocentrism:
The term eurocentrism was popularized in the late twentieth century, in the context of decolonization and internationalism.
During the colonial era when most of the countries in the world were under the control of European powers, encyclopedias used to justify these acts by stating that the Europeans have an upper hand over the rest of the world and are better suited to control the world.
Eurocentrism as a term for an ideology was coined by Egyptian Marxist economist Samir Amin, in the 1970s. Amin used the term in the context of the global dependency model of capitalist development.
Features of Eurocentrism:
Eurocentrism ignores any country or nation which does not have a culture like Europe’s and these countries are considered inferior.
According to eurocentric believers, Europe gave the world all the advancements that can be found in today’s world. Stephen Spender, a famous poet, wrote that “Europe gave the world its world”.
According to eurocentrism, the earliest civilization started from Europe and was supposed to be highly advanced. All the civilizations outside Europe were barbaric, backward and they were civilized by the Europeans. Religions around the world are considered to be inferior if it is not Christianity.
Eurocentrism in Today’s World:
Even in today’s world eurocentrism can be seen. Many times we do not know of it but it can be found in our daily lives. It has taken deep roots in the modern society we live in today.
Eurocentrism can be seen in children's books for instance, in Rudyard Kipling’s poem titled “The White Man’s Burden”, originally written for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.
In this, the speaker is talking to white people and explaining that the colonization of the non-European countries by the Europeans is not a means for their gain in any way, but it is a “burden that a white man has to carry”.
In this poem, the non-European countries are called backward and uncivilized, while the people of these countries are called half childlike and half evil.
Rudyard Kipling is a British Victorian novelist and poet, he has received a Nobel prize for literature. There are still many of his works that have been taught in schools and colleges.
Eurocentrism has not only affected the literature and texts but also many ethnic groups. For instance in Latin America was affected by eurocentrism during the colonial period.
This occurred through the appliance of the latest criteria meant to "impose a replacement social classification of the planet population on a worldwide scale". Supporting this occurrence, replacement social-historic identities were newly produced, although already produced in America.
A number of these names include; 'Whites', 'Negroes', 'Blacks', 'Yellows', 'Olives', 'Indians'. With the advantage of being located within the Atlantic basin, 'Whites' were privileged to regulate gold and silver production.
The work which created the merchandise was by 'Indians' and 'Negroes' with the control of economic capital from 'White' workers. And thus, Europe or Western Europe emerged because of the central place of the latest patterns and capitalist power.
Written by: Priyanshu Bhardwaj
Edited by: Gourav Chowdhury
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