M1 materials

History 117

Eurocentrism

The ideology that western/European, culture, history, and values are superior and should be the universal standard for the rest of the world.

Historical Significance Eurocentrism

it shaped how global history was written by prioritizing European achievements while minimizing or distorting the contributions of non‑European societies.

 Imperialist Bias

is a colonizer‑centered viewpoint that portrays empire as justified or beneficial while minimizing the harm done to colonized peoples

Historical Significance  Imperialist Bias

Ignores voices/perspectives of native peoples, frames colonization as civilizing mission.

Map

Graphic representation / scale model of spatial concepts. Universal medium. Artificial construct shaped by creator's worldview, conveys geographic + cultural/philosophical info.

Historical Significance Map

Why matters: Influences our understanding of world, not neutral.

Atlas

Structured collection of maps + geographic data, stats, charts, indices. Broad/comprehensive scope, bound volume or digital database.

Historical Significance Atlas

Can create hidden curriculum through selective coverage.

Cartography

Art and science of making maps, interdisciplinary field, oldest map Imago Mundi.

Historical Significance Cartography

Map is a technology - old tech, doesn't have to be modern/science. US schools got new maps March 2017 after 500 years colonial distortion.

 Map Distortions - What maps preserve

Conformality (shapes), Distance, Area/Equivalence (proportional size), Direction.

Historical Significance  Map Distortions

Why matters: NO map is entirely accurate, all geometrically distorted, final product of conscious choices. North/South/East/West culturally determined.

Mercator Projection

 Created during European expansion, enlarges areas near poles like Europe/N America at expense of Africa/S America.

Historical Significance Mercator Projection

Why matters: It visually reinforced Eurocentric and imperialist worldviews by enlarging Europe and shrinking regions like Africa and South America.

 Gall-Peters Projection

World map designed to show countries in true size relative to each other.

Historical Significance Gall-Peters Projection

Why matters: Preserves Area/Equivalence, popular for multicultural use, corrects Eurocentric sizing.

 Robinson Projection 1963

 Made by Arthur H. Robinson 1963, designed to make earth look realistic/balanced not perfectly accurate.

Historical Significance Robinson Projection 1963

It matters because it reduces major distortions, giving a more balanced and visually accurate world map than earlier projections.

Hidden Curriculum in Atlases

School maps embed bias through projections, selective coverage, one-track timelines, omission of non-European histories.

Techniques used for Hidden Curriculum in Atlases

Techniques: Misleading titles [World in 1492], Artificial borders, One-way arrows out of Europe, European naming over native terms.

 Diffusionist Timeline Model

Historical maps enforce linear single-track narrative: Ancient Near East -> Greece -> Rome -> Britannia -> Rest of World.

historical significance Diffusionist Timeline Model

Ignores parallel civilizations, cooperative models, non-European developments running concurrently. Eurocentric Freeze Time snapshots.

 Geographical Imbalance

Atlases focus 90% on Europe/Britain/N America, few pages Asia/Africa/Australia, 0 for S America.

Imperial Propaganda Example

Example: George R. Parkin 1893 British Empire Map used Mercator to exaggerate British dominance, repeating Australasia twice.

Erasure of African History - Case Study

Africa rarely shown before 16th century, as if history began with Europeans. Omits: Trans-Saharan trade, Mali/Ghana kingdoms, even in Fage's Atlas of African History. Timbuktu appears/disappears based on European contact. Neglects: Transatlantic/internal slave trades, resistance movements.

Whig History - Herbert Butterfield 1931

the idea that the past was a straight, inevitable march toward modern progress.

Historical Significance

Butterfield showed this view is biased because it assumes progress is automatic and judges the past by today’s values.

Presentism

Presentism is interpreting the past using today’s values, beliefs, and assumptions.

Why is presentism bad & Example

Judging people in the 1700s as “uneducated” because they didn’t finish high school even though formal schooling and grade levels didn’t exist the way they do today. Why bad: Distorts understanding.

Historical Significance Presentism

It matters because it distorts how we understand earlier societies; avoiding it helps historians judge the past on its own terms.

Great Man Theory

history is shaped mostly by key individuals whose actions have huge consequences.

Great Man Theory probs and critiques

Problems: It ignores the social, economic, and political forces that shape leaders and erases the role of ordinary people, focusing only on dramatic moments instead of long‑term trends. Critiques: It turns leaders into heroic figures above society and overlooks how groups and collective action drive real historical change.

Historical Significance GREAT MAN

it overlooks the social, economic, and political forces that shape leaders, erases collective action, and exaggerates historical change as the work of a few “heroes.”

 Don't Let the Rise of Europe Steal World History - Main Idea

Starting world history in 1200 or 1450 CE pushes Eurocentric story. AP set start to 1200 cutting ancient history. What removed: Greece, Rome, Han China, Maya, West Africa, origins of agriculture/writing/science/trade. Bottom line: Should show global connectivity not just when Europe dominant.

 Why Pre-1200 Matters Today

3 examples - China Belt & Road builds on 2000-year-old Silk Roads. Middle East/S Asia modern leaders model policies on 7th century Islamic history. Eastern Europe current conflicts rely on borders/figures from before 1100 CE.

Single Story - Definition + Nkali

When one narrative becomes ONLY way we understand person/place/group, leads to stereotypes that are incomplete not necessarily untrue. Nkali = to be greater than another. Power decides who tells stories, how, when. Starting at wrong point changes everything. Forms through Repetition.

TED TALK Single Story - 4 Examples + Message

 1) Childhood British/American books -> thought stories had to be about foreigners, found Achebe/Laye. 2) Fide's family only poor -> basket broke story. 3) US Roommate assumed no English/stove/tribal music = single story Africa poverty/catastrophe. 4) Her own bias Mexico = abject immigrants from US media. Message: Stereotypes rob dignity, balance of stories empowers/restores dignity, regain paradise.