In an article published in “Study & Exploration” 5th issue of 2025, Pan Xihua argues that cultural hegemony, as the fundamental paradigm of the "Western-Centrism Theory of Civilization," can be traced back to the concept of "egemonia" introduced by Italian Communist Antonio Gramsci. This concept was subsequently extended and elaborated upon by Edward W. Said, a leading postcolonial critic, and further developed into the concept of "Orientalism," which encompasses the dimensions of "past, tradition, and future." By adopting a historical research perspective and systematically analyzing the core concepts and ideas successively proposed by Gramsci and Said, we can better trace the formation of the "Western-Centrism Theory of Civilization" and delve into the origins of its discursive illusion that "difference equals inequality, which in turn equals superiority."
Theoretically dismantling the barriers of the "Western-Centrism Theory of Civilization" and breaking its cultural hegemony, which has long dominated global discourse, will contribute to resolving multicultural conflicts in practice and promoting the coexistence of diverse cultures.