# Beyond the West: The Forgotten Voices of History | Anelia Mkrtchyan | TEDxUWCDilijan Youth Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVs2Ip-17w Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/NKVs2Ip-17w Generated: 2026-02-11T17:01:14.566+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The speaker argues that Western perspectives, heavily influenced by Edward Said's concept of Orientalism, create a false, singular narrative of the Middle East and North Africa (the Arab World) as chaotic and inferior, neglecting the region's rich history of scientific and cultural contributions, and urges listeners to question this biased worldview to reshape the future. **Key Points:** - The speaker challenges the common Western perception of the Arab World (North Africa and the Middle East) as inherently barbaric and chaotic, contrasting it with a singular, negative narrative. - Mathematical concepts like the Pythagorean theorem (a² + b² = c²) and the quadratic formula were known in ancient Babylon, Egypt, and India centuries before Pythagoras, highlighting non-Western contributions. - Other important mathematical concepts like Pascal's Triangle, the Fibonacci sequence, Gauss's Law ($\Phi_E = \oint_S \vec{E} \cdot d\vec{A} = \frac{q}{\epsilon_0}$), and Euler's Identity ($e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$) were developed by scholars from the Middle East during the Islamic Golden Age. - The speaker cites Edward Said's concept of 'Orientalism' to explain how Western narratives perpetuate a bias that views the Middle East as inferior and static, rather than acknowledging its historical role as a center of culture and science. - The historical period of Islamic flourishing, where math, medicine, art, literature, and philosophy thrived, is often forgotten or overshadowed by modern conflict narratives. - The speaker concludes that breaking free from this limiting narrative requires questioning what we think we know and acknowledging all contributors to human society to reshape the future. - A map displayed showed the countries in the Arab World (North Africa and the Middle East) comprising about 22 nations. ![Screenshot at 00:08: The screen displays the Pythagorean theorem \($a^2 + b^2 = c^2$\) next to a right-angled triangle, serving as a familiar starting point before the speaker challenges the attribution of this knowledge solely to Western figures.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/NKVs2Ip-17w/00-00-08.jpg) **Context:** The presentation, given by Anelia Mkrtchyan at TEDxUWCDilijan Youth, explores the historical erasure of scientific and cultural achievements from the Middle East and North Africa, particularly during the Islamic Golden Age. The speaker contrasts the familiar Western-centric view of mathematics (like the Pythagorean theorem) with foundational concepts developed by Arab and Islamic scholars, arguing that a persistent Western bias, termed 'Orientalism' after Edward Said's work, continues to overshadow these contributions, leading to a skewed global perspective. ## Detailed Analysis Anelia Mkrtchyan delivers a talk arguing against the historical bias in education that credits Western figures for mathematical and scientific discoveries originating in the Arab World and the Middle East. She begins by referencing the Pythagorean theorem, which the audience recognizes, only to reveal that its knowledge predates Pythagoras by thousands of years in Babylon, ancient Egypt, and India. She then displays several other fundamental concepts: Pascal's Triangle, the Fibonacci sequence, Gauss's Law in physics, and Euler's Identity ($e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$), noting that these were also developed by scholars from the Arab World during the period known as the Golden Age of Islam. The speaker introduces Edward Said's concept of 'Orientalism' to frame this issue, explaining that the Western narrative creates a single, often negative, story of the East as chaotic and barbaric, while forgetting its foundational contributions to science, art, and philosophy. She points out that about 22 countries in North Africa and the Middle East were centers of civilization during this time. The core message is that this pervasive narrative, which makes the West seem superior, is a shadow that follows us, and overcoming it requires actively questioning our ingrained worldviews and acknowledging all contributors to human knowledge to successfully shape the future. ### Introduction to Mathematical Familiarity - Audience recognition of Pythagorean theorem ($a^2 + b^2 = c^2$) - Introduction of Pythagoras as the discoverer - Challenge that this knowledge existed in Babylon, Egypt, and India thousands of years prior ### Mathematical Contributions from the Islamic Golden Age - Display of Pascal's Triangle - Display of Fibonacci sequence (visualized by golden spiral) - Display of Gauss's Law ($\Phi_E = \oint_S \vec{E} \cdot d\vec{A} = \frac{q}{\epsilon_0}$) - Display of Euler's Identity ($e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$) - Identification of these discoveries as stemming from the Arab World, a center of civilization 3,000 years ago ### The Problem of Orientalism - Introduction of Edward Said's 'Orientalism' - Explanation that this forms a single, West-dominant narrative - Contrast between the perception of the Arab World as chaotic/barbaric versus its historical contributions to math, science, art, literature, and philosophy ### Call to Action - Urging the audience to question what they think they know about history - The need to acknowledge all contributors to human society to reshape the future ![Screenshot at 00:08: The screen displays the Pythagorean theorem \($a^2 + b^2 = c^2$\) next to a right-angled triangle, serving as a familiar starting point before the speaker challenges the attribution of this knowledge solely to Western figures.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/NKVs2Ip-17w/00-00-08.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:39: The slide displays the quadratic formula \($x = \\frac{-b \\pm \\sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}$\), which the speaker notes was discovered by Al-Khwarizmi, an Arab mathematician.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/NKVs2Ip-17w/00-00-39.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:11: The screen shows a collage of mathematical concepts: Pascal's Triangle, Gauss's Law \($\\Phi\_E = \\oint\_S \\vec{E} \\cdot d\\vec{A} = \\frac{q}{\\epsilon\_0}$\), the Golden Spiral/Fibonacci sequence, and Euler's Identity \($e^{i\\pi} + 1 = 0$\), illustrating non-Western contributions.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/NKVs2Ip-17w/00-01-11.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:50: A map highlights North Africa and the Middle East \(the Arab World\), identifying it as comprising roughly 22 countries that were historical centers of civilization.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/NKVs2Ip-17w/00-01-50.jpg) ![Screenshot at 02:48: The screen displays the word 'Orientalism,' referencing Edward Said's work on how Western perspectives shape the portrayal of the East.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/NKVs2Ip-17w/00-02-48.jpg)