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: 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: Non-European societies tend to be despotic and servile, as against the West's freedom and individualism. Non-European societies are Islamic, or pagan, or believe in strange religions, which are inferior to Christianity, or lack its truth. Non-European societies are cruel and lack concern for human life. They practice barbaric customs toward women, such as female genital mutilation (north Africa), widow-burning ( sati, India) or foot-binding ( China ). Non-European societies are inflexible and unchanging.