A Eurocentric Historical Narrative: The European Miracle

Abstract

The ‘European miracle’ thesis, which can be considered as the axis of Eurocentric historiography, refers to the rapid progress and transformations that Europe has experienced in various fields such as science, technology, trade and administration since the sixteenth century. The tendency with a Eurocentric point of view attributed the ‘miracle’ to reasons such as Europeans being more rational than other peoples, their genealogy dating back to the ancient Greeks, the environmental conditions in Europe being more advantageous than in other regions, the Industrial Revolution first taking place in Europe, Europeans' achievements in science and technology, the East being under the pressure of despotic governments and spiritual dynamics stemming from Christianity. The point that all authors of this tendency agree on is that the European miracle was realised with Europe's own resources. The authors who object to the fact that Europe's global rise was realised through its own internal resources reject the ‘European miracle’ thesis. Although the explanations of the authors of this tendency regarding Europe's global hegemony differ from each other, their general tendency is that the main factor that enabled Europe to prosper and evolve into modern capitalism was the enormous wealth that European countries obtained from their colonies in other parts of the world, especially in America. This study, which is based on literature review, discusses the concept of ‘European miracle’, which forms the basis of the Eurocentric discourse, through pro and con views and provides information on the subject.

Keywords

• Eurocentrism
• European Miracle
• History
• Colonialism
• Oriental Despotism

Avrupamerkezci Bir Tarih Anlatısı: "Avrupa Mucizesi"

Öz

Avrupamerkezci tarih yazımının ekseni sayılabilecek "Avrupa mucizesi" tezi, Avrupa'nın bilim, teknoloji, ticaret, yönetim gibi çeşitli alanlarda on altıncı yüzyıldan itibaren yaşadığı hızlı ilerleme ve dönüşümleri ifade etmektedir. Dünya tarihini Avrupamerkezci bakış açısıyla değerlendiren yazarlar, "Avrupa mucizesini" Avrupalıların başka halklardan daha rasyonel olması, soy ağaçlarının antik Yunanlara dayanması, Avrupa'daki çevresel şartların diğer bölgelerden daha avantajlı olması, Sanayi Devrimi'nin önce Avrupa'da yaşanması, Avrupalıların bilim ve teknoloji alanındaki başarıları Hristiyanlıktan gelen ruhsal dinamikler ve Doğu'nun despotik yönetimlerin baskısı altında olması gibi sebeplere dayandırmıştır. Bu eğilimdeki yazarların tümünün ortaklaştığı nokta ise Avrupa mucizesinin Avrupa'nın kendi kaynaklarıyla gerçekleştirilmiş olduğudur. Avrupa'nın küresel yükselişini kendi iç kaynaklarıyla gerçekleştirdiğine itiraz eden yazarlar ise "Avrupa mucizesi" tezini reddetmektedir. Bu yazarların Avrupa'nın küresel hegemonyasına ilişkin açıklamaları birbirinden farklı olmakla birlikte, genel eğilimleri, Avrupa'nın zenginleşip modern kapitalizme evrilmesini sağlayan esas unsurun Avrupalı ülkelerin başta Amerika olmak üzere, dünyanın diğer bölgelerindeki sömürgelerinden elde ettiği devasa servet olduğu şeklindedir. Kaynak tarama yöntemiyle hazırlanan bu çalışma, Avrupamerkezci söyleme dayanak oluşturan "Avrupa mucizesi" kavramını lehte ve aleyhte görüşler üzerinden tartışarak konuyla ilgili bilgi birikimine katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Avrupamerkezcilik
• Avrupa Mucizesi
• Tarih
• Sömürgecilik
• Doğu Despotizmi

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