Appendix - Deconstructing Cultural Essentialism at Root: The ‘Maritime vs Continental Civilizations’ Narrative

There is an overall Eurocentric narrative at the root of cultural essentialism that we call the ‘maritime versus continental civilizations’ (MvC) narrative. According to it, Europe constituted a ‘maritime civilization’, ‘outwardly oriented’, and ‘fearless’ of the sea’s hazards, while China, which serves as an illustration of non-Europe, was a ‘continental civilization’, ‘inwardly oriented’, and ‘shying away’ from the sea’s hazards. The ‘M’ component of the MvC narrative is none other than the ‘voyages of discovery’ narrative; while Needham’s claims about China cited by Floris Cohen in Chap. 9 constitute some of the elements comprising the ‘C’ component. The ‘C’ component is deconstructed by examining China’s ecological and economic diversity, the resulting important role of commerce, the shift of the country’s centre of gravity over time to the coastal regions, and so on, showing that the construction of the ‘C’ component is possible only because of ignorance of these aspects about China.