MMW 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Sinocentrism, Eurocentrism, Binary Opposition
19 May 2018
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Outline Lecture One - New Ideas and Cultural Encounters
1. The origin and impact of the “rise of the west” mythology
2. Towards a more inclusive, polycentric narrative of “world history”
“Rise of the west” master narrative
a. Myth of european exceptionalism
1. certain traits that distinguish western culture from the rest of the world -
determination for rationality, change, entrepreneurship, innovation
2. Assume unique traits that distinguish the west
3. “Oriental” - non-western cultures were in contrast, bound by tradition,
despotism and stagnation - traits that defined the non-western cultures
ii. Eurocentric assumptions about western and eastern cultures
1. Manifests itself in subtle ways at times
2. Sinocentrism - china. Ethnocentric view of other cultures
iii. Convenient binary opposition of dynamism vs paralysis
a. West - dynamism
b. East - paralysis (stagnation)
2. Acknowledge the religious fatalism of pre-15th century medieval europe
a. Renaissance period of europe - west was destined for progress,
embedded in the eurocentric outlook
b. In contrast, asia/non-western world remained immobilized in the
shackles of tradition (e.g Confucius traditions in china - ideology
that supported the absence of change. Dominance of tradition)
c. Prior to the 15th century, for several centuries, europe was
steeped in religious fatalism - “dark ages” of europe.
d. Seeing this world as “vale of tears”
i. Religion took a prominent role where it would inspire
people to see this world as a “vale of tears”
ii. Real existence was in the afterlife - through the “dark ages”
3. But after the 15th century, europe began to shed this ideology of
renunciation for a belief in the infinite potential of human agency
a. Individuals to change their own destiny in life
b. “Only in the west…”
i. Insistence that attitude towards change emphasised
exceptionalism (only in the west)
ii. E.g spirit of adventure and exploration, risk-taking,
innovational personality, rationality of secular humanist,
ideal of work ethic that inspired the west to industrialize (for
example)
4. Was there a radical change in world-view in Europe by the late middle
ages?
a. Stagnation - none of them celebrated stagnation as an ideal, not
necessarily opposed to promotion of change
i. confucius notion - perfectibility through learning
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