The Theoretical Foundations of Western Exceptionalism and Supremacism

Siahpoosh, Amir

doi:10.22034/irsj.2026.243540

The Theoretical Foundations of Western Exceptionalism and Supremacism

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Amir Siahpoosh

Assistant Professor, Islamic Revolution Department, Islamic Education University, Qom. Iran.

10.22034/irsj.2026.243540

Abstract

The West has utilized scientific instruments and theories of the human sciences as tools for dominating other societies. This article examines various dimensions of this colonial approach through a descriptive-analytical method. The ideas of the most prominent theorists who have asserted Western exceptionalism and superiority are extracted and analyzed through a study of their views. Based on the findings, major thinkers such as Kant, Montesquieu, John Stuart Mill, and William Graham Sumner considered the Western white race superior and more intelligent than other races, attributing Western dominance in politics, economics, and culture to the superior nature of Westerners and the inferior nature of other races, particularly Black and Indigenous peoples. Colonial powers such as Spain, Britain, and the United States consistently employed this ideological instrument in their aggression against other countries.

Keywords

Supremacism

Exceptionalism

Racism

Theoretical foundations

West