Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture. Part of ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own race, ethnic or cultural group is the most important or that some or all aspects of its culture are superior to those of other groups. Some people will simply call it cultural ignorance. Show
Ethnocentrism often leads to incorrect assumptions about others’ behavior based on your own norms, values, and beliefs. In extreme cases, a group of individuals may see another culture as wrong or immoral and because of this may try to convert, sometimes forcibly, the group to their own ways of living. War and genocide could be the devastating result if a group is unwilling to change their ways of living or cultural practices. Ethnocentrism may not, in some circumstances, be avoidable. We often have involuntary reactions toward another person or culture’s practices or beliefs but these reactions do not have to result in horrible events such as genocide or war. In order to avoid conflict over culture practices and beliefs, we must all try to be more culturally relative.  Cultural relativism is the principle of regarding and valuing the practices of a culture from the point of view of that culture and to avoid making hasty judgments. Cultural relativism tries to counter ethnocentrism by promoting the understanding of cultural practices that are unfamiliar to other cultures such as eating insects, genocides or genital cutting. Take for example, the common practice of same-sex friends in India walking in public while holding hands. This is a common behavior and a sign of connectedness between two people. In England, by contrast, holding hands is largely limited to romantically involved couples, and often suggests a sexual relationship. These are simply two different ways of understanding the meaning of holding hands. Someone who does not take a relativistic view might be tempted to see their own understanding of this behavior as superior and, perhaps, the foreign practice as being immoral. Despite the fact that cultural relativism promotes the appreciation for cultural differences, it can also be problematic. At its most extreme, cultural relativism leaves no room for criticism of other cultures, even if certain cultural practices are horrific or harmful. Many practices have drawn criticism over the years. In Madagascar, for example, the famahidana funeral tradition includes bringing bodies out from tombs once every seven years, wrapping them in cloth, and dancing with them. Some people view this practice disrespectful to the body of the deceased person. Today, a debate rages about the ritual cutting of genitals of girls in several Middle Eastern and African cultures. To a lesser extent, this same debate arises around the circumcision of baby boys in Western hospitals. When considering harmful cultural traditions, it can be patronizing to use cultural relativism as an excuse for avoiding debate. To assume that people from other cultures are neither mature enough nor responsible enough to consider criticism from the outside is demeaning. The concept of cross-cultural relationship is the idea that people from different cultures can have relationships that acknowledge, respect and begin to understand each other’s diverse lives. People with different backgrounds can help each other see possibilities that they never thought were there because of limitations, or cultural proscriptions, posed by their own traditions. Becoming aware of these new possibilities will ultimately change the people who are exposed to the new ideas. This cross-cultural relationship provides hope that new opportunities will be discovered, but at the same time it is threatening. The threat is that once the relationship occurs, one can no longer claim that any single culture is the absolute truth. The main difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism is the way in which you evaluate or assess foreign culture. Ethnocentrism involves looking at another culture from the perspective of one’s own culture, while cultural relativism involves looking at another culture by its own
perspective instead of one’s own culture. Culture is the beliefs, values, social forms, and material traits of a particular social group. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two ways in which we assess a culture that is not our own. Ethnocentrism is the act of judging other cultures according to the preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture. Cultural relativism, on the other hand, is the concept that cultural norms and
values of people have to be understood with their own cultural context. 1. What is Ethnocentrism Culture, Cultural Relativism, Ethnocentrism,
Values Ethnocentrism is the act of judging other cultures based on the preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture. In other words, an ethnocentric assesses another culture from the standards of his own culture. He is concerned with the similarities between his culture and others. If the beliefs and customs of another culture are different from his culture, he’ll feel that culture is barbaric or savage. This happens because an ethnocentric person feels that his or her culture is the ‘correct’ or ‘normal’ way of living. For example, a Westerner might find East Asians’ habit of eating with chopsticks a silly practice. Similarly, some people may also show reluctance to eat the food of another culture. Ethnocentrism stems from the notion that one’s own culture is far superior to others. This notion is also associated with colonialism. It was because of this superiority stemming from ethnocentrism that most colonizers viewed colonized cultures as savage. While it’s natural to appreciate one’s own culture, seeing other cultures as inferior or savage can lead to hatred and aggression, causing violence and conflicts. What is Cultural RelativismCultural relativism is the notion that cultural norms and values derive their meaning within a specific social context. According to this postulate, values, beliefs, practices and behaviours of people should be understood within their own cultural context, and they should not be judged against the criteria of another culture. This is based on the concept that no culture is better or superior to another. Furthermore, cultural relativism is one of the most fundamental concepts of sociology. Moreover, this concept was introduced by Franz Boas and popularized by his students although they did not use the term cultural relativism. Cultural relativism is actually a popular notion in modern society. Difference Between Ethnocentrism and Cultural RelativismDefinitionEthnocentrism is judging other cultures based on the preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one’s own culture. In contrast, cultural relativism is the notion that a culture should be understood on its own terms, not using standards of another culture. NatureWhile ethnocentrism involves looking at another culture from the perspective of one’s own culture, cultural relativism involves looking at another culture by its own perspective instead of one’s own culture. Own CultureAn ethnocentric individual will believe that his culture is ‘correct’ and ‘normal’, but a person who believes in cultural relativism understands that one culture is not better than another. ConclusionThe main difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism is the way in which you evaluate or assess foreign culture. Ethnocentrism involves looking at another culture from the perspective of one’s own culture while cultural relativism involves looking at a foreign culture by its own perspective instead of one’s own culture. Reference:1. Cole, Nicki Lisa. “Definition of Cultural Relativism in Sociology.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 17 Aug. 2019, Available here. Image Courtesy:1. “Person Eating Sushi” By Isabella Mendes (CC0) via Pexels About the Author: HasaHasa has a BA degree in English, French and Translation studies. She is currently reading for a Masters degree in English. Her areas of interests include literature, language, linguistics and also food. You May Also Like TheseWhen you use your own cultural standards to judge those of others you are practicing?Cultural relativism is the practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of one's own culture.
When you judge another culture from your own viewpoint you are being?Such attitudes are an example of ethnocentrism, or evaluating and judging another culture based on how it compares to one's own cultural norms. Ethnocentrism, as sociologist William Graham Sumner (1906) described the term, involves a belief or attitude that one's own culture is better than all others.
What is the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards?Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view one's own culture or group as superior while cultural relativism is the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture.
What is ethnocentrism and cultural relativism?Ethnocentrism compares other cultures by using a group's specific culture as the basis of that comparison, believing theirs to be superior and the standard to be used in comparison to other cultures. Cultural relativism, on the other hand, believes that culture is understood best through its own people.
|
What is the term to refer to the judging another culture by the standards of ones own culture?
zusammenhängende Posts
Urheberrechte © © 2024 ketiadaan Inc.
