Overcoming eurocentrism...

The struggle to overcome eurocentrism in education will be a long one, as eurocentrism is so deeply embedded in the system. However, changes are being made, and there is a growing respect for world authors. This effort to provide more multicultural perspectives in the classroom is wrought with drawbacks, though, as many people will use words like "diversity" and "multicultural" often, but without having an in-depth understanding of what these words mean. They are buzzwords, and they get thrown around a lot. Furthermore, there are some educators who feel that the pressures of having multicultural perspectives in the classroom are too great, and are too daunting. But being less eurocentric does not mean that a teacher has to know about every country and every history in the world, it just means having a more open understanding of the people we interact with, and realizing that there are more books out there than the one's written by dead white guys. As such, if this is a topic with which you relate, a great starting point for change is to talk about this topic with others-both people who agree with you and who disagree with you. Also, if you are interested in reading more World Literature but do not know where to start, I have posted a recommended reading list on this blog, which has some books that I've read and think others would enjoy. Be wary of buzzwords like "diversity," and again, just don't be afraid to talk about these issues with others.