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Decolonizing my Library (03 of 15)

Decoding the Eurocentric Narrative Trap

Identifying and Challenging Eurocentric Narratives

This post is part of a series that reviews decolonialism in libraries, archives and other similar spaces, from the perspective of the Global South and the margins, and how colonialism affects collections, staffing, services, activities, policies, and results. Check all the posts in this section's index.

Introduction

At the heart of every library collection, there is a narrative.

These narratives shape how we understand history, identity, and culture, and too often, they are built on the distorted framework of Eurocentrism. Eurocentric narratives elevate the stories, perspectives, and achievements of Europe and its descendants, while diminishing or silencing those of the global majority. These narratives do not simply exist in textbooks or encyclopedias — they are embedded in the very structures of knowledge and authority that guide library (and archive, and museum) practices, from acquisitions to cataloging, from shelving to programming.

As libraries move toward decolonization, they must confront this reality head-on. We must ask ourselves: What stories are we telling? And whose stories are we leaving out? The act of decolonizing knowledge is not just about adding new voices to the conversation, but about radically rethinking the framework within which all stories are told. The process requires a fundamental shift, a move away from one-dimensional views of history and knowledge, and a commitment to creating space for stories that have been long excluded or marginalized.

Eurocentrism: A Historical Imposition

Eurocentrism, the belief that European culture and values are the defining standard for all of human civilization, has deep historical roots. It emerged from the expansion of European empires and the ideological justification for colonial domination. The so-called "Age of Discovery" was not about discovery at all — it was about European imperial powers staking claims over "new" lands and peoples, reinterpreting them through their own narrow lens of superiority. This worldview saw Africa, Asia, and the Americas as blank slates, waiting to be "civilized" by Europe.

As historian Edward Said writes (2003, 1), "The Orient was almost a European invention … a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, remarkable experiences." In this framework, the "East" was portrayed as the opposite of the "West" — irrational, backwards, and in need of Western intervention and guidance. These distorted ideas permeated Western literature, academia, and even the library systems that were emerging at the time.

This cultural and intellectual colonialism didn't stop with the conquest of lands; it extended to the conquest of minds. The knowledge systems that emerged from Europe became the global standard, and the epistemologies of colonized peoples were relegated to the margins. Eurocentric narratives became the dominant framework within which history was written and knowledge was produced, shaping the way libraries collected, organized, and disseminated information.

Even today, colonial legacies continue to inform academic and library practices. While decolonization has been a focus in many academic fields, the task of confronting the pervasive Eurocentric narrative in libraries is often overlooked or underestimated. Libraries have historically been seen as neutral spaces, but neutrality itself is a position that often aligns with the status quo — one that has benefited colonial powers and left marginalized groups with limited access to the full range of their own histories and knowledge.

The Subtle Power of Eurocentric Narratives in Libraries

Eurocentrism is not always explicit. It often operates in subtle ways, woven into the fabric of library systems, educational resources, and even everyday practices. A Eurocentric narrative can be found in:

• Curricula and Texts: Most history textbooks, for example, begin with European civilizations and only include non-Western histories in the context of European encounters with them. This ordering reinforces the idea that European history is the default, while the histories of indigenous and marginalized peoples are secondary. Non-European civilizations are often framed in terms of their relationship to the West rather than on their own terms, reinforcing their perceived inferiority.
• Classifications and Cataloging: Western systems of knowledge classification, such as the Dewey Decimal System or the Library of Congress Classification, categorize non-Western cultures and histories as "other" — if they are even included at all. Many libraries still rely on subject headings that position non-European cultures as exotic, primitive, or irrelevant to mainstream knowledge. This categorization is not neutral — it is a reflection of how knowledge has been controlled and filtered through a Eurocentric lens.
• Cultural Representation: The absence of non-Western authors in literary canons, the underrepresentation of indigenous scholars in academic databases, and the underfunding of libraries in marginalized communities, all reflect the continued dominance of Eurocentric narratives in the library world. Cultural representation is not just about presence; it's about how cultures are framed and positioned within a larger narrative of civilization and progress.

As Tuck and Yang point out in their famous article, "decolonization is not a metaphor." In the library context, this means that confronting Eurocentric narratives is not just about adding more books by non-Western authors to our shelves. It is about dismantling the systems that have privileged those narratives in the first place. We cannot simply add diversity on top of the existing structures without reimagining and reshaping those structures themselves.

Decoding the Eurocentric Narrative Trap

In order to confront the dominance of Eurocentric narratives, libraries must begin by recognizing the trap. Eurocentrism has shaped everything from the structure of knowledge to the way we teach and catalog. To dismantle it, we must decode its grip on the institutions and practices we inherit.

One of the most immediate actions libraries can take is to confront the notion of a "universal" canon of knowledge. The traditional Western canon is often seen as the highest standard of intellectual achievement. This canon, however, is deeply selective and exclusionary. To disrupt this, libraries must curate collections that prioritize a diversity of voices, perspectives, and intellectual traditions. It means recognizing that knowledge comes in many forms —oral traditions, indigenous philosophies, alternative epistemologies— and that these must be treated with the same respect as Western texts. Libraries should also consider the way they treat "classics." Rather than simply preserving the old canon, libraries must create spaces for these texts to be engaged with critically. What does it mean to teach Shakespeare or Homer alongside Indigenous oral traditions, or African philosophy? Can we read Plato without interrogating the ways in which these texts were used to justify colonial systems? This is the kind of work that will enable libraries to begin to break free of the Eurocentric narrative trap.

The language we use to categorize knowledge must be interrogated as well. A simple example of Eurocentric bias is found in subject headings that classify indigenous knowledge under terms like "folklore" or "mythology," reducing complex cultural knowledge systems to quaint, irrelevant stories. By revising classification standards to include non-Western ways of knowing and being, libraries can begin to create more inclusive, respectful systems of knowledge organization. These changes should not be limited to adding terms to existing subject headings, but should also involve a thorough examination of the ways in which knowledge is conceptualized and ordered.

Another step? Libraries have a critical role to play in amplifying the voices of those who have been historically marginalized. This means not only collecting and preserving texts by indigenous authors, Black scholars, and writers from the Global South, but also prioritizing their visibility in catalog systems, reading lists, and library programs. Libraries must use their platforms to elevate non-Western perspectives, offering programs and resources that foster a deeper engagement with these communities.

Finally, libraries can also build international relationships with libraries and archives in the Global South. Collaborative efforts in collection development, resource sharing, and knowledge exchange can help disrupt the flow of knowledge that has traditionally been one-sided, from the West to the rest of the world. These relationships allow libraries to engage with knowledge systems that have been marginalized and offer a more holistic view of the world's intellectual heritage.

The Road Ahead

Challenging Eurocentric narratives is no easy task, and it's a journey that will look different in every institution. But it is a necessary one. Decolonization demands a radical shift in how we think about knowledge, history, and power. Libraries, as repositories of knowledge, must not only reflect society but actively participate in reshaping it. By confronting the Eurocentric narrative trap, libraries can become spaces of liberation, not just information.

We should keep in mind the words of bell hooks (1994: 105): "Where are our books on race and feminism and other aspects of feminist theory, works which offer new approaches and understanding?" Let's make sure that the books we share reflect the full range of human experience, that they invite us into a world that is diverse, just, and truly representative of all people's stories.

References

• hooks, bell (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York, London: Routledge.
• Said, Edward W. (2003). Orientalism. London: Penguin Books.
• Tuck, Eve & Yang, K. Wayne (2012). Decolonization is Not a Metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 1 (1), pp. 1-40.

About this post

Text: Edgardo Civallero.
Publication date: 10.12.2024.
Picture: "Indigenous". In Flickr [Link].