A Eurocentric Problem

Abstract

In no other major civilization do self-regard, self-congratulation and denigration of the ‘Other’ run as deep, nor have these tendencies infected as many aspects of their thinking, laws, and policy, as they have in Western Europe and its overseas extensions. These tendencies reached their apogee during the nineteenth century, retreated briefly after World War II, but have been staging a comeback since the end of the Cold War. This paper examines the sources and uses of Eurocentricism. It also exposes its fallacies.