Constructing the ‘Other’ within the Context of Eurocentrism, Orientalism, and the Civilizing Discourse

Authors : Cem Uncu

Pages : 449-481

View : 68 | Download : 350

Publication Date : 2025-12-27

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study critically examines the role of historiography in shaping Western perceptions of the East through the concepts of othering, barbarism, and civilization. From antiquity to the modern era, the West constructed its own identity by defining itself in opposition to an imagined barbarian other. Drawing on examples from Greek and Roman texts, medieval chronicles, Enlightenment thought, and colonial discourses, the article demonstrates how Eurocentric historiography systematically legitimized Western superiority. The act of labeling the East as despotic, stagnant, and uncivilized not only provided a mirror through which the West glorified itself, but also produced a narrative that became institutionalized over centuries. The study highlights Michel Foucault’s theory of knowledge/power and Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism as theoretical frameworks for understanding how historiography functions as an ideological tool. Furthermore, the article discusses the Russian adaptation of the Western “civilizing mission” in the Caucasus and Turkestan, revealing how imperial powers appropriated the discourse of civilization to justify conquest and subjugation. Special attention is given to the notion of Eurocentrism in modern historiography, where the Middle Ages were constructed as “dark” while the Islamic world’s flourishing was obscured, and where non-European societies were depicted as passive or peripheral. By analyzing these mechanisms, the study demonstrates that historiography is not a neutral record of events but a contested terrain of meaning production. Ultimately, it argues that the persistence of Eurocentric narratives continues to influence global politics, reinforcing dichotomies between “civilized” and “barbaric”.
Keywords : Avrupa-merkezcilik, Oryantalizm, Medeniyet, Ötekileştirme, Tarihyazımı

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