Eurocentricity

Eurocentricity as Ideology

Ideology is often defined as a set of beliefs, values, or ideas that define a culture. Moreover, it is a worldview adopted by members of that culture. In discussing the idea of European culture, Eurocentrists hold several beliefs or tenets that compose the ideology of Eurocentricity.

One of the major tenets of Eurocentricity is the notion that European epistemology is universal. Western perspectives of psychology, anthropology, history, and sociology, for example, become the standard by which all other “ways of knowing” are judged and measured. Western knowledge is imposed on the reality of others, and alternative perspectives or realities are not recognized. Moreover, the Western world seeks to control and demonstrate power over the “other,” that is, anyone other than European.

Another major tenet that defines Eurocentricity is the idea of a materialistic view of reality. Eurocentrists believe in an objective reality that is rooted in the scientific philosophy of Aristotle. It is a reality that is observable, measurable, and verifiable. As a result of taking this scientific approach to reality, humans and human behavior are thought to be deterministic and reductionist. The Eurocentrist privileges the Western scientific method as universal at the expense of other “non-scientific” ways of knowing.

Lineality is another tenet that defines Eurocentricity. Marimba Ani posits that lineality is the interpretation of a phenomenon as being made up of unidimensional, separate entities arranged in sequential order. Lineality is the foundation for the development of dichotomous thinking, that is, right/wrong, black/white, good/bad, and the creation of categories. So, for example, Eurocentric discourse privileges Europe by placing the United Kingdom in the majority or “first world” category and Africa in the “third world” or minority position; Europe then is perceived as subject while Africa is object. In other words, Europe is viewed as the “teacher” and Africa the “pupil.”

Another tenet that defines Eurocentricity is the notion of European nationalism. European nationalism comprises those beliefs, actions, and human behaviors that promote White privilege and European hegemony. For example, Eurocentric classical studies scholar Mary Lefkowitz's book Not Out of Africa was an attempt to reposition and impose a hegemonic narrative about Greek contributions to Western civilization on Afrocentricity. By asserting this type of agency, White intellectual thought is reestablished and affirmed.

Dimensions of a Eurocentric Identity