Unthinking Eurocentrism Essay

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Representation is defined as a cultural process through which we envision the world, and is influenced by the omnipresent norms and values shared by all members of society. Such a definition is derived from an article by Ella Shohat and Robert Stam entitled “Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media,” and Anne McClintock’s piece “Soft-Soaping Racism and Imperial Advertisement.” It is important to note that the meaning of the term ‘representation’ is contextual; with this in mind, for the purposes of this paper its development is conducted within a feminist and scholarly framework.
In their article, Shohat and Stam describe the idea of Eurocentrism, referring to it as a form of “vestigial thinking” that “centralizes and augments Europe” and its ideals, while belittling the values of other spatial entities. The authors also contend that Eurocentrism, which is the legacy of mass colonization, has infiltrated into our contemporary practices, language, education, and, in particular, modern-day representations in the media. Additionally, McClintock’s article illustrates the routes by which …show more content…
This filter is influenced by universally acknowledged values and norms that are inherently Eurocentric. Accordingly, by conceptualizing and deconstructing representation within popular discourse, we may enable an examination of the pervasive standards and principles that have contributed to the illustration of characters, groups, and so forth in the mass media. For instance, McClintock’s article discusses the representations of minority groups within the soap advertisement industry of the late 1800s. McClintock refers to the “the black and white boy” in the Pears advertisement and the “monkey” in the Monkey brand soap poster to highlight the fact that there are historic linkages of Eurocentrism within the contemporary media of past times, particularly the advertising
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