ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the fundamental question of what Eurocentrism is and, with that, the problems it raises within Translation Studies. A key axis in the definition elaborated in this chapter relates to the narratives that underlie Eurocentrism: among other things, these include the belief that Europe forms a cultural unit whose history is firmly, and somewhat neatly, rooted in Greece, Rome, Judeo-Christianity and the Scientific Revolution. These core beliefs – which are approached critically – are supported and maintained by two more core constituents of Eurocentrism: solipsism and power. The chapter, therefore, breaks down components of Eurocentrism’s ‘grand narrative’ in order to tackle the different manifestations that the Eurocentric worldview may involve in the case of Translation Studies. The final section of the chapter also tackles some of the reservations raised in Translation Studies regarding the validity of the charge of Eurocentrism against the discipline.
