Title: Eurocentrism | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Eurocentrism
Eurocentrism
EUROCENTRISM.
Examples
Enlightenment.
Marx.
Weber.
Twentieth-Century Critics of Eurocentrism
Eurocentrism, Anticolonialism, Modernity,
Postcolonialism
Modernity.
Postmodern and postcolonial studies.
bibliography

Content: Eurocentrism is very old indeed. Already in the fifth century b.c.e. the Greek historian Herodotus mentions "barbaric" Asian hordes who, despite splendid architecture, lack European individuality. Although Eurocentrism has been common through the ages, it has not been constant, nor has it affected the way Europeans have viewed all non-European societies equally. Moreover, Europeans have not always been in full agreement with each other over the merits or failings of particular non-European societies. In some writers and periods we find a tendency to romanticize Asia and Africa. In general, Eurocentrism has been more pronounced during periods of greatest European assertiveness or self-confidence, the most outstanding example being the age of imperialism and colonialism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There are certain beliefs, valid or otherwise, that have led Eurocentric thinkers toward ignoring, undervaluing, or condemning non-European societies. There is a wide range of these, some applying more broadly in chronological terms than others. They include the following: