Goodness Is Elsewhere: The Rule of European Difference

Abstract

Reflecting on European colonialism in 1950—at a time when discussions about what we now know as the European Union emerged in western Europe—Aimé Césaire wrote, “… Europe is morally, spiritually indefensible.”2 This idea is fairly commonplace in much of the post-colonial world and it has some purchase within certain academic and intellectual circles elsewhere. And yet, in the process of denouncing the widely noted3 presence of racism in Hungary, thirty-six leading Hungarian intellectuals have, in a recent public document, felt compelled to thank France, and through France, a generic, trans-historical notion of “Europe,” for what they saw as the latter's profound, longue-durée goodness.

Perceptions of developmental hierarchies in Taiwan: Conceptual, substantive, and methodological insights

“…Western Europeans have long viewed their region as more developed than the rest of Europe, and this perception was important in the way Europe was divided after World War II between "east" and "west" (Böröcz 2006, Melegh 2006, Todorova 1997, Wolff 1994. Perceptions of this developmental hierarchy have also influenced how Eastern European countries were evaluated for possible admission into the European Union (Böröcz 2000).…”

The making of family values: Developmental idealism in Gansu, China

“… 3 Although development has been typically understood as eternal accumulation of material wellbeing (Thornton 2005: 137–138; also see, e.g., Condorcet 1796; Ekirch 1951; Godwin 1926/1793; Hegel 1878/1837; Marx and Engels 1965/1848; Nibset 1980) and associated with positive ethics and morality (Böröcz 2006; Chabbott 1999; Latham 2000; Taylor 2004; Thornton et al 2010b; United Nations 2005–2012), we acknowledge that important alternatives do exist. For instance, it has been suggested that development is sometimes associated with excessive sex liberty, atheism, violence, etc.…”

Governance of or through culture?

“…As cultural diplomacy and the 'soft power' of culture and arts programs continue to be heralded, the EU is preparing to transpose its 'civilizing impact' onto other geopolitical areas. Claiming that Europe, in contrast to the U.S., values culture, proponents of such a European foreign cultural policy attempt to establish the EU as operating from a moral high ground (Böröcz 2006).…”