“Ödünç Mekân”ın Dışında: Yirmi birinci Yüzyılda Çokkültürcü Söylem ve Tarihyazımı

Abstract

Eurocentrism is a grand narrative changing with time and transforming under differentcontexts. Many critics of this grand narrative have not yet managed to go beyond what they have criticized.In this article, we aim to analyse and question the critique of Eurocentrism from two domains:‘centrism’ and ‘Europe’. First, we discuss the inadequacy of responding to one centrism with anothercentrism and one essentialism with another essentialism. Second, we look at how the idea of ‘Europe’can be restrictive when it is imagined as a homogeneous, uniform and consistent entity. For us, oneway of making differences visible within Europe, the West and the rest of the world is closely relatedto being able to think beyond rigid categories and binary oppositions. Being able to read culture in itscomplexity by taking into account hybridities, contextual variations and intercultural moments is ofutmost importance. In this article, we argue that providing a viable critique of Eurocentrism has to dowith understanding and analyzing Eurocentrism in its specific context. To this end, understanding theuniversal effect of Eurocentrism, its specific readings, the way it is has been received and reinterpretedin different cultures is crucial. Only by adopting an interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary outlookwithout dismissing either a macro or a micro-analysis is it possible to avoid binary oppositions