GRSJ224/The Spread of Eurocentrism in North America

"Eurocentrism" refers to the belief that European culture and ethnicity act as the basis of which judgments are evaluated against. It holds the idea that non-European cultures stand inferior, which in turn promotes the idea that society must strive towards European and Western ideals giving little appraisal to Asia, Africa, or Latin America.

World map displayed with Europe in the centre.

The concept of Eurocentrism dates back to the fifth century in writings about "barbaric" Asian people who lack Eurocentric individuality. The term "eurocentric" became popularized in the 1960s and has become more closely related to studies in humanities and social sciences since then.

History

First Nations

Europe first began its colonization in North America through a series of explorations between the 11th and 17th centuries. From these expeditions stems the beginning of Eurocentric ideology spreading throughout North America and the loss of Native American culture. Disease and malnutrition were the prominent weapons during the European expansion. However, it was animosity towards a culture dissimilar to their own that fuelled European colonists to lead wars and ambushes against Native Americans. Combined, these factors wiped out an estimated 90% of the Native American population before the 18th century.

Towards the 1800s, the Indian Removal Act was placed to further wipe out the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole peoples, occurring simultaneously as the European population in North America increased. As more than 90,000 Native Americans were forced out of their homeland, European explorers continued their colonization westward into what is now California. In this state, the government implemented the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians, legalizing slavery and the commodification of Native American children, as well as the removal of Native American beliefs, replacing these with European ideals--namely religion.

Fort Albany Residential School Students in a classroom

European colonizers held preconceived notions that collecting North America's treasures to return to Europe was permissible because North America was inhabited by pagans. This then led to the mass conversion of North America to Christianity, which was punishable by death in the case of resistance. A majority of these conversions occurred in federally funded residential schools. Here, Native American children were given new European names and assimilated into European culture with the intention "to kill the Indian in the child." Children became victims of physical and emotional trauma, even suffering as much as sexual abuse from their authority figures. To the European settlers, destruction of Native American cultures fulfilled the European vision of what the New World should exist as.

Immigrants

Towards the end of the 19th century, an influx of black and Asian immigrants into North America emerged. These races were perceived as inferior to the predominantly European population, and underwent the consequences of racial discrimination. Black immigrants were seen as backward, ignorant, immoral, criminal, and economic threats, and were used for slavery prior to its abolition. In the western frontier of North America--particularly in British Columbia--Asian immigrants began their settling. However, their arrival was unwelcomed by labour groups claiming Asians took jobs away from European workers due to their willingness to work for less money. As a result of discrimination against the Asian population, various riots broke out to protest against Asian people. Asian immigrants were kept out of Canada through the Chinese head tax and the Komagata Maru's refusal of entry, which further reinforced the Eurocentric vision of North America.

In the Media

As early as the 1920s, Hollywood has been comprised of a predominantly white population. Thus, in Hollywood films, non-European characters have historically been portrayed by white actors using prosthetics and makeup to mimic the appearance of non-white people. These faces are then referred to as "blackface", or "yellowface", depending on the race being portrayed. These practices have sparked increasing controversy regarding the lack of casting genuine people of colour in favour of European-rooted actors. Moreover, the Oscars have come under great scrutiny due to its racial skew towards awarding white actors, further strengthening the over-representation of European-Americans in Hollywood.

Present Day

Education

European culture, literature, philosophies, and religions comprise the basis of the humanities curriculum in North American Elementary and Secondary schools. In modern classrooms, Asian, African, and Latin American histories are examined solely through the perspective of European expansion (or are otherwise considered 'World History'), and focus primarily on European contributions, greatly devaluing the historical contributions of non-European states. Additionally, maps are typically depicted with Europe in the middle, further reinforcing European centrality.

Cultural Appropriation

War bonnet being worn by a non-native as an accessory

Cultural appropriation occurs when members of a privileged racial demographic exploit the cultural attire and/or traditional clothing of an oppressed group to convey a fashion statement. Because Eurocentric styles--straight hair for example as opposed to African hairdos--are upheld as the standard for beauty, non-European styles are evaluated based on this norm. While these same non-European styles may be deemed unattractive, they become normalized or are considered trendy when flaunted in western culture where Eurocentric styles are the norm.

See Also

orientalism

References

1. Gheverghese, G., Reddy, J., Searle-Chatterjee, M. (2016). Eurocentrism in the social sciences. Race & Class, 31, pp. 1-26.
2. Baizerman, S.; Eicher, Joanne B.; Cerny, C.. (2008). Eurocentrism in the study of ethnic dress. Fairchild Publications, Inc.. Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy, http://hdl.handle.net/11299/170552.
3. "Eurocentrism." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. . Retrieved April 09, 2017 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/eurocentrism
4. Atrocities Against Native Americans. (2016). United To End Genocide. Retrieved from http://endgenocide.org/learn/past-genocides/native-americans/
5. Trevithick, S. (1998). Native Residential Schooling in Canada: A Review of Literature. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 18(1). pp 49-86.
6. Exploration of North America. (2017). History. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-north-america
7. Driedger, L. (2011, October 2). Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada. Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/prejudice-and-discrimination/
8. Bernardin, M. (2016, April 18). Commentary Hollywood's glaring problem: White actors playing Asian characters. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-racial-erasure-essay-20160418-story.html
9. Shohat, E., Stam, R. (2013). Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media. London: Routledge.
10. T. J., (2016, January 21). How racially skewed are the Oscars?. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/01/film-and-race
11. "Eurocentrism." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. . Retrieved April 10, 2017 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/eurocentrism
12. Vujakovic, P. (2002) Whatever Happened to the 'New Cartography'?: The world map and development mis-education, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 26:3, 369-380, DOI: 10.1080/0309826022000019936
13. Baizerman, S.; Eicher, Joanne B.; Cerny, C.. (2008). Eurocentrism in the study of ethnic dress. Fairchild Publications, Inc.. Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy, http://hdl.handle.net/11299/170552.
14. Biakolo, K. (2016, September 27). How To Explain Cultural Appropriation To Anyone Who Just Doesn't Get It. Retrieved from http://www.rolereboot.org/culture-and-politics/details/2016-09-explain-cultural-appropriation-anyone-just-doesnt-get/