Cultural Decentering
Aaron Walsh
HUMA215-1202A-17
04/15/2012
Professor Reed

Abstract
Imperial expansion changed the aspect of many cultures. What was considered everyday life and tradition began to change dramatically or destroyed. The European influence on non-western society began a cultural shift to the European culture in more of a decentering, rather than reclamation to its own culture.
Keywords: Culture, decentering, westernization.

Introduction
The non-western cultures faced many changes through the beginning of the twentieth century. Slavery and Christianity was a huge part in those changes. Centering of culture results in a change in one’s own culture. As the world began to modernize, cultures began to become part of the civilization that was thrust upon them.
“Worldwide, non-Western cultures faced fundamental challenges to their cultural identities—not so much a recentering of culture but a decentering of culture.”
The word westernization equates to transformation to the modern ways of the world, or modernization. One must be able to distinguish the two terms. Modernization is an overhaul of the current society. Prior to the Europeans, the only other contibutors to the modernization of Africa were the Arabs. The Arab nations introduced Islam to the African culture ("Westernization - Africa,"n.d.). Through the late nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, Western Cultures began to modernize technology, communication and expand their armed forces. Western culture had been given political power, accompanied by economic gains from outside culture. As Western culture exploded, others were held in fear of the change and lacked progression (Sayre, 2010).
The influence of the western cultures to the non-western cultures was not without struggle. Non-western cultures were ready to change their own values or ways thus creating a decentering of their philosophy and a loss of their own characteristics
A culture is a tremendously intricate assembly of historic individuality, spiritual ideas, interpersonal relationships, and communal involvements of different and like situations. The personality of a cultural group results from of spans of collective practices, and involves a comprehensible chain of ideas that enables a group to make sense of those collections ("Westernization - Africa,"n.d.).
In the later nineteenth century and early twentieth century, what would a “decentering” of culture have meant for a given cultural group? Globalization of this time caused a decentering of non-western culture because of western influence. Music, fashion, tradition and technology are all changes that occurred during this time. Music and literature were passed down form generations, and now were being threatened or replaced as western movement began to settle in. Media and communication, accompanied by technological advances boomed during this period as well (Sayre, 2010).
Research the impact of Western or European cultures on Africa.
Cultures suffering decentering were great in number. Among those to suffer was Africa. The impact was devastating. Families, villages and entire communities crumbled as the native men were sold and traded as slaves. It was argued that Europeans were the dominant race. During this time, life was embraced by “moral relativism” and evolutionary dominance by the European cultures (Sayre, 2010).
What was the selected non-Western culture like prior to the late nineteenth century?
With their own traditions, the African culture and their region flourished prior to the European influence. The nation lived as groups of villages, primarily in large families, while having one single leader.
Art, music and dance were the main focuses of its culture. In the beginning of the century, Africa was a prosperous nation that controlled its own financial structure. Ghana controlled all of the trading, including, gold, iron, salt and Ivory. Ghana also controlled the mass of slavery causing some Africans to convert to Islam to avoid it. Ghana also used the military heavily to maintain peace. The African people did not have to fear about food, as there was plenty for its people (Sayre, 2010).
How did it change as a result of European expansion?
The Europeans, both economically as well as politically, were very powerful. The industrial revolution of trading had a major impact in Africa. Slave trading became their gainful piece of trade. The diseases that the Europeans brought with them, as they were unable to fight off the disease, leaving millions of Africans to die, also affected the African people.
The chief effect of the European colonialism was the integration of Africa into the capitalistic world of the Western culture. Africa functioned as a primary source of raw materials for the industrial production of the European system. This forced Africans into wage labor and eventually into slavery (Sayre, 2010).
Western culture, including education, became the chief component of the modernization of Africa. In the beginning of the western influence, education of the villages was primarily accomplished through Christian missions.
Christianity dared old-fashioned faith and endorsed the circulation of fresh philosophies and styles of existence. Throughout this influential period, this cultural revolution came to be associated with Christian teachings and created a new lifestyle for the African nations ("Westernization - Africa,"n.d.).

References
Sayre, H. M. (2010). Discovering the Humanities. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall-Pearson.
Westernization - africa - bibliography. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://science.jrank.org/pages/8152/Westernization-Africa.html