European economic and cultural backwardness, not superiority, preceded its hegemony
Evidence
The origin of this myth is based in Europe’s transformation and its subsequent rise to global dominance. Up until 1500 or so, Europe was a marginal player on the world stage relative to other great powers (such as the Ottomans, Chinese, and Indians). It overcame its backwardness thanks in no small part to the rise of capitalism. The question of the origins of capitalism is a complex and hotly debated issue, and I will not discuss it here. For our purposes, let me state that the growth of capitalism conferred various advantages—technological, military, communication, and so on—which led first to European dominance over world trade and then eventually to colonialism and imperialism. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 87 (
#corroborates, via linked claim)
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Europe achieved hegemony only through mercantile imperialism and capitalism, not inherent superiority — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 103; European hegemony resulted from economic and imperial factors, not inherent Western superiority — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 103; European hegemony resulted from mercantile capitalism, not inherent cultural superiority (+6 more)
Broader Connections
- European global hegemony resulted from economic advantage, not cultural superiority.
#corroborates(0.95) - European hegemony resulted from mercantile capitalism, not inherent cultural superiority
#corroborates(0.92) - Europe was a marginal global player before capitalism
#corroborates(0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 87 - Europe’s 19th-century superiority over Asia was contingent, not eternal
#corroborates(0.80) — Sadik Jalal al-‘Azm, Orientalism and Orientalism in Reverse, 83 - Capitalism was shaped by preexisting European civilization, not the reverse
#qualifies(0.75) - Voyages expanded Europe’s physical horizon but not its cultural worldview
#corroborates(0.75)