Defining of Terms

Zarefsky in his keynote address on Definitions argues that "the ways in which we define our terms affects the way we think, talk, and act about the realities for which they stand" (4). Thus, in order to clarify my argument against eurocentrism in education, I would like to define the term.

Eurocentrism: being centered on Europe or Europeans. Most courses in grade schools and high schools are taught from eurocentric perspectives, especially history and literature courses. For example, most books read in high schools are written by dead white male authors.

Eurocentrism makes it particularly difficult for non-European American (non-white) students to identify with what they are learning in school, and fails to provide these students with a voice. This is a major problem in U.S. education today.