Afrocentrism vs. Eurocentrism |

Afrocentrism and Eurocentrism differ in many ways, and have help to advance the cause of both Africans and Europeans throughout history. Some would argue that had it not been for Eurocentrism Afrocentrism would never have existed, and in a sense the former is responsible for the creation of the latter. The manner in which both ethnocentric ideas view the world are totally different from one another but they are alike in the sense that they strive to place each of their ideals at the center. There is a long storied past associated with these two ideologies as well as a difference in opinion between and among the two. Afrocentrism seeks to teach a worldview that highlights the contributions of African …show more content…

It was based on an earlier word "Europe-centric" which scholars began using in the early 20th century.
During the European Renaissance is where most scholars trace the earliest forms of a mass Eurocentric thinking among the leaders of Europe. The effects of this type of thinking developed during the age of European imperialism which began occurring during the 15th century (Tibebu). This worldview had many different catalysts such as the Commercial Revolution, the Scientific Revolution, and the rise of colonial empires. Around the 17th century European scholars began placing rationale for European domination over others in encyclopedias and published novels and books. In 1741 Johann Heinrich Zedler wrote "even though Europe is the smallest of the world's four continents, it has for various reasons a position that places it before all others.... its inhabitants have excellent customs they are courteous and erudite in both sciences and crafts." In the Brockhaus Enzyklopadie of 1854 it states that Europe "due to its geographical situation and its cultural and political significance is clearly the most important of the five continents, over which it has gained a most influential government both in material and even more so in cultural aspects."
Eurocentrism reached its height during the 18th and 19th