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Dead white males or Dead White European Males (DWEM) is a derisive term referring to a tradition of thought and pedagogy, like the Great Books focus of educational essentialism and Educational perennialism, which is believed to stress the importance and contributions of individual European males from the past, while largely ignoring other forces (economic or social, for example) or other groups of people (for example, individuals of non-European descent, and women). Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Great Books refers to a curriculum and a book list. ... In education essentialism is a theory that states that children should learn the traditional basic subjects and that these should be learned thoroughly and rigorously. ... Perennialists believe that one should teach the things that they deem to be of everlasting importance to all people everywhere. ... This article is about the continent. ... The word male has the following meanings: In biology, it refers to one half of a heterogamous reproduction system, where the female is the other half. ...

Some of those most often included in this definition include Plato, Dante, William Shakespeare and Isaac Newton. For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... DANTE is also a digital audio network. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Sir Isaac Newton, (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, and alchemist, regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science. ...

Other typical "dead white males" include:

• Ancient Greek philosophers
• European explorers, conquistadors, and colonial administrators
• European mathematicians, philosophers, scientists, artists, and political figures
• European and American authors (especially those in the traditional Western canon)
• European "Classical" music composers

Specifically in the US:

• Founding Fathers of the United States
• US Civil War Generals
• US Military Heroes

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A philosopher is a person devoted to studying and producing results in philosophy. ... For a List of scientists, see: List of anthropologists List of astronomers List of biologists List of chemists List of computer scientists List of economists List of engineers List of geologists List of inventors List of mathematicians List of meteorologists List of physicists Scientist pairs List of scientist pairs See... An artist is someone who employs creative talent to produce works of art. ... A monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... The Western canon is a canon of books and art (and specifically one with very loose boundaries) that has allegedly been highly influential in shaping Western culture. ... Classical music is a term with three distinct meanings: The European tradition of music which is associated with high culture, as distinct from popular or folk forms (including works in this tradition in non-European countries). ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... ...

History and usage

The phrase "dead white males" (or "dead white men", "dead white guys" etc.) is a rhetorical device used to deride the emphasis on high culture in Western civilization in schools (especially those in the United States), as the majority of figures previously considered significant in Western civilization were white males who are usually dead. Critics of the traditional curriculum argued^{[citation needed]} that it enshrined a particular world view and that it valued older European history, for example, over more recent American achievements, as well as the achievements of women and minority groups. They also often implied that it was subconsciously racist and sexist. A form of history viewed in a similar way is the "Great man theory" of history. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For alternative meanings for The West in the United States, see the U.S. West and American West. ... Students in Rome, Italy. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1. ... Sexism is discrimination between people based on their Sex rather than their individual merits. ... The Great man theory is a theory held by some that aims to explain history by the impact of Great men, or heroes: highly influential individuals, either from personal charisma, genius intellects, or great political impact. ...

As a result of increased DWEM focus, high school curricula in the United States in recent years have tended to be more inclusive of contributions from people who are not dead, white, or male.. For example, a typical US high-school history curriculum might focus less on the contributions, decisions, and actions of such individuals as Robert E. Lee, and other DWM who were Generals, instead considering the contributions of individuals such as Crispus Attucks, who were never mentioned in textbooks until the late 1980s. // For the author of Inherit the Wind and other works, see Robert Edwin Lee. ... Image:Crispus Attucks: an African American Hero. ... The 1980s refers to the years of and between 1980 and 1989. ...

Critics of the term

Despite being itself supportive of a controversial racial classification of individuals as "White" vs "Non-White", the term DWEM was subsequently adopted by defenders of the traditional curriculum. Some supporters saw the particular "dead white European males" in question as being obviously more worthy of study than any rival figures. Defenders of traditional curricula are often supporters of the accepted canon of English and European-language literature. They often characterise proposed curriculum change as being largely motivated by political activism. They argue that to dismiss any thinker or writer as a DWEM, and solely for that reason, cannot be a valid comment on the actual content. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

This is because DWEM is employed as an ad hominem argument. This approach has joined the repertoire of calling criticism 'political correctness', or defending a historical figure or event as being subject to academic attacks by "liberal intellectuals". It strengthens those points, since it speaks to the fallacious nature of ad hominem, rather than itself relying on fallacies. It has been suggested that Personal attack be merged into this article or section. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to work, study, reflect, speculate on, or ask and answer questions with regard to a variety of different ideas. ...

In response, it has been pointed out that the term DWEM is not meant as a criticism of Plato, Aristotle, or other such "dead white" intellectuals. Instead, they suggest that it is a criticism of the academics that have held them in absolute esteem, while downplaying the possible worth of contemporary intellectuals (such as Jack Kerouac) or non-white intellectuals (such as Lao Tze). Users of the term also suggest that their critics are bigots who have an automatically indignant reaction to the words "dead white males," as well as an automatic connection to eurocentric traditions. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Lao Zi (also spelled Laozi, Lao Tzu, or Lao Tse) was a famous Chinese philosopher who is believed to have lived in approximately the 4th century BC, during the Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Periods. ... A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own. ... Eurocentrism is the practice, conscious or otherwise, of placing emphasis on European (and, generally, Western) concerns, culture and values at the expense of those of other cultures. ...

It has also been pointed out that some authors who are widely accepted into the Western canon, such as the astronomer/mathematician Ptolemy and the theologian/philosopher Augustine of Hippo were born or lived in Africa, and may not have been "white" as that term is generally understood today, not to mention such figures as the author Alexandre Dumas, père (The Three Musketeers, etc) and the Russian poet Pushkin, both of whom were of mixed-race origin. A medieval artists rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; c. ... “Augustinus” redirects here. ... Alexandre Dumas, père, born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870) was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. ... For other uses, see The Three Musketeers (disambiguation). ... Pushkin may refer to: People Aleksandr Pushkin - a famous Russian poet Apollo Mussin-Pushkin - chemist and plant collector Aleksei Musin-Pushkin - statesman, historian, art collector Other Pushkin, a town in Russia Pushkin Square - square in Moscow Pushkin Museum - fine arts museum in Moscow This is a disambiguation page — a...

Popular culture

The term has gained widespread enough currency that it can appear in mass-market media. For example, in the film 10 Things I Hate about You (1999), an African-American high-school English teacher performs a rap version of a Shakespearean sonnet. Afterwards, he remarks that despite the fact that Shakespeare is merely a "dead white guy", he reassures the class that the playwright "knows his shit" and is still worth the attention. Harold Bloom has made the same argument, in a more academic style; see his book The Anxiety of Influence [1]. 10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American romantic comedy film starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Larisa Oleynik, and Larry Miller, and is directed by Gil Junger. ... // April 17 - Star Wars fans begin lining up at movie theaters in Westwood and Hollywood to buy tickets for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. ... Hip hop music is a style of popular music. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Anxiety of Influence is a book published in 1973 by Harold Bloom. ...

Australian playwright David Williamson also satirised this approach to education in his play Dead White Males. In the production, the ghost of Shakespeare is shot by a radical post-structuralist lecturer. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Post-structuralism is a body of work that followed in the wake of structuralism, and sought to understand the Western world as a network of structures, as in structuralism, but in which such structures are ordered primarily by local, shifting differences (as in deconstruction) rather than grand binary oppositions and...

In the Simpsons episode, "Lisa the Iconoclast", Lisa's teacher Ms. Hoover calls her report exposing local hero Jebediah Springfield as a pirate, "nothing but dead white male-bashing from a PC thug." Lisa the Iconoclast is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons seventh season, and is probably the most important episode for Jebediah Springfield since The Telltale Head. // Spoiler warning: As Springfield celebrates its bicentennial, Lisa Simpson makes the shocking discovery that the towns beloved founder, the late Jebediah Springfield, was... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ...

See also

• Identity politics
• Political correctness
• Postmodernism
• WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)
• Missing white woman syndrome

Identity politics is the political activity of various social movements for self-determination. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... Postmodernist architecture of the Stata Center by Frank Gehry Sydney Opera House The term Postmodernism (sometimes referred to as Pomo, Po-Mo, or PoMo [1], [2], [3]) was coined in the early 1960s to describe a dissatisfaction with modern architecture, founding the postmodern architecture. ... WASP is a term which originated in the United States. ... Missing white woman syndrome, also known as missing pretty girl syndrome, is a term coined by a number of media figures that refers to a form of media hype. ...

Notes

External links

• Columbus As A Dead White European Male: The Ideological Underpinnings of the Controversy Over 1492, an essay from The World and I, a publication of The Washington Times, December, 1991
• Kudos to the grand old DWEM, an essay from the National Post, November 20, 1999