Eurocentrism
This book is a provocative and compelling critical account of the historical, ideological, political, and economic order of the present world defined by the author as "Eurocentrism."According to Amin, Eurocentrism is the world view fabricated by the domination of Western capitalism that claims European culture reflects the unique and most progressive manifestation of the metaphysical order of history. Amin convincingly explains that Eurocentrism, thus understood, is an ideological distortion, an incredible mythology, and an historical and moral travesty. Eurocentrism. illegitimately appropriated Greek rationality and Christianity to legitimize and justify its newly created capitalistic social order; its economic, political, cultural, and military conquest of the world; and its exploitation of non-European humanity. He, then, explains how Eurocentrism has created and maintained worldwide monetary inequity and denial of all but European values, cultures, and ethnicities. Given this situation, Amin considers two possible options open to Third World (non-European) countries, though, ultimately, he rejects both as inappropriate. The first option is to return to ancient cultural roots as expressed in Islamic Fundamentalism or diverse forms of Third World nationalism. The second is to accommodate socio-cultural economic pluralism. The former option is rejected as reactionary and blind to the scientific view of the world and its progressive consequences. The latter is inappropriate because its character of provincialism invites inevitable and insolvable conflicts among nations in the global community. Thus, Amin believes that in spite of its problems, capitalism reflects a certain universal rationality. He, therefore, calls for a new economic, cultural, and political world order founded on "the socialist universalism," a non-European, universal, and rational paradigm of world order able to overcome the contradiction inherent in capitalist universalism. In this enlightening and provocative essay, Amin provides a synoptic but clear and refreshing view of world history and present economic and political conditions while he forces us to reassess from a non-Eurocentric, objective perspective. --FromIndependent Publisher--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.