Eurocentrism in everyday life
I was listening to the audiobook “The Light Eaters” by the journalist Zoe Schlanger, where she went on a tangent discussing how the perception of plants as inanimate has its roots (no pun intended) in the Eurocentric view that humans are the superior beings and are preferred by God as they were in the image of God. This is a view challenged by many indigenous cultures, which treat plants as a part of their family. For instance, we use the term `vegetable’ to refer to a physically and mentally stunted person. This got me thinking. What other aspects of our life are biased by such Eurocentric views. I can certainly read a book about it and obtain a list. But I think it’d be better if I document them based on my own experiences in life.
First, and a slightly funny example I know is from my favorite TV show `The West Wing’. In one of the episodes with the “Big Block of Cheese Day” (every wingnut knows about this), the anthropologists from Cartographers for Social Equality reveals how we have been conditioned to think of the world as a flat map, with Europe at the center. This is a Eurocentric view that has been ingrained in our education system and media for centuries. In fact , the Mercator projection, which is commonly used in maps, distorts the size and shape of countries, making Europe appear larger than it actually is. Alternatively, the Peter’s projection, which is less frequently used, presents a more accurate representation of the world.
Another one I got to know is that calling the Arab countries, “Middle East” is a Eurocentric view. The term was coined by the British in the 19th century to describe the region between Europe and the Far East. This term is still widely used today, despite the fact that it is geographically inaccurate and reinforces a Eurocentric perspective. Better way to refer to the region would be “West Asia” or “Southwest Asia”.