Drever, 1952). 2.Cultural relativism is showing a sense of understanding for different cultures and treating the uniqueness of these cultures with utmost respect. d. political theory; sociological theory, A. Dostoevsky style in film; "American Idol" winners, The Ku Klux Klan is an example of what part of culture? An authoritarian personality tends to be more ethnocentric. An American visiting Italy might long for a real pizza or complain about the unsafe driving habits of Italians compared to people in the United States. Ethnocentrism is overvaluing one's own culture, while Xenocentrism is overvaluing other's cultures. Exciting as it was, she felt isolated and disconnected. He is concerned with the similarities between his culture and others. Pride in ones own culture doesnt have to lead to imposing its values on others. This becomes racism when other cultures are denigrated, or their traditions are regarded as irrelevant etc. (2000). c. Conflict theory The way cuisines vary across cultures fascinates many people. References https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism Simply Scholar Ltd. 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU, 2023 Simply Scholar, Ltd. All rights reserved. It creates tight boundaries among various social groups. The main difference between ethnocentrism and xenocentrism is the preference of culture. Likewise, most cultures recognize music in some form. Even the most culturally relativist people from egalitarian societiesones in which women have political rights and control over their own bodieswould question whether the widespread practice of female genital mutilation in countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan should be accepted as a part of cultural tradition. Outcome: Theories of Racial Inequality, 110. Furthermore, cultural relativism is one of the most fundamental concepts of sociology. What is Filipino Xenocentrism? In psychology, ethnocentric behavior can occur when a researcher conducts a study in a particular culture and then states in their findings that their results can be generalized to all cultures. Emotions do all people experience emotions the same way? It's the belief that one's ethnic group is superior to another. Outcome: Sexual Attitudes and Practices, 132. Reading: Types of Formal Organizations, 70. Ainsworths classic study of The Strange Situation (1970) is an example of ethnocentric research. After focusing on North American and European research for many years, Western researchers began to question whether many of the observations and ideas that were considered to be universal actually apply to other cultures outside of the sample that was studied. The main difference between ethnocentrism and xenocentrism is the preference of culture. Another example of cultural bias relates to the designs of standardized tests such as intelligence tests. a. Outcome: The Sociological Imagination, 11. Learn to define ethnocentrism and cultural relativism and examine how they are related. b. Functionalism What is Ethnocentrism Definition, Features, Examples2. As a way to keep in touch, you frequently send e-mails of a few lines to let her know about your day. Reading: Recent Economic Conditions in the United States, 211. Soak one swatch of each fabric in hot water and one swatch in cold water for several minutes. Likewise, most cultures recognize music in some form. (1985). Reading: Conflict Theory on Education, 159. Why It Matters: Work and the Economy, 202. b. Functionalism Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related. Rodney and Elise are U.S. students studying abroad in Italy. If I am not wrong many believe it is cultural relativism which is a more suitable reply to ethnocentrism. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Urbanization, 220. Reading: The Graying of the United States, 181. 1. Ethnocentrism occurs when a researcher assumes that their own culturally specific practices or ideas are natural or right., The individual uses their own ethnic group to evaluate and judge other individuals from other ethnic groups. The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 15-29. Putting It Together: Sociological Foundations, 34. Sociologists attempting to engage in cultural relativism, then, may struggle to reconcile aspects of their own culture with aspects of a culture that they are studying. Reading: Charter Schools and Homeschooling, 165. Read the full article here. On an extreme scale, ethnocentrism can lead to prejudice or racism. belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group. Putting It Together: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, 137. Sometimes when people attempt to rectify feelings of ethnocentrism and develop cultural relativism, they swing too far to the other end of the spectrum. Here are a few examples of ethnocentrism in travel: 1. Differences between Ethnocentrism and Xenocentrism are easy to comprehend. Caitlin was half asleep by the time supper was servedat 10 p.m.! Saying that other countries you visit are "backward" or "barbaric" for not eating and living in the same way you. trism eth-n-sen-tri-zm. 1. a. cultural lag Outcome: Theoretical Perspectives on Education, 157. Xenocentrism leads to cultural diffusion, which is the spread of culture. For example, during the World Cup or Olympics, you may tend to root for your own country and believe that the players or teams representing your country are much better. Soak the third swatch in warm water and dry in a dryer. The terms _________________ and ______________ are often used interchangeably, but have nuances that differentiate them. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two ways in which we assess a culture that is not our own. Introductory Sociology by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Manage Settings Why It Matters: Socialization and Interaction, 55. 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, and should therefore serve as the standard frame of reference. North Americans keep more distance and maintain a large personal space. Even something as simple as eating and drinking varies greatly from culture to culture. Do you feel that feelings of ethnocentricity or xenocentricity are more prevalent in U.S. culture? 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. Ethnocentrism means The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own traditional, deferred, or adoptive ethnic culture, while Xenocentrism means a preference for the products, styles, or ideas of a different culture. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Ethnocentrism is when one compares ones own culture to others and sometimes compares, sometimes with the intent of helping and often with the intent of trying to impose your own culture into or onto theirs, where Xenocentrism is more like the rejection of one's own culture and the desire to adapt the other as your own. Intelligence tests that are designed by Western researchers reflect the idea of what the West considers as being intelligent. The middle ground does exist in that "geocentric [multinational enterprises] seek to simultaneously achieve global efficiency and local adaptation" (Moran et al., 2014). Why It Matters: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, 121. Reading: Global Stratification and Inequality, 100. Ethnocentrism can be avoided or reduced by studying culture using an emic approach. Cite this page as follows: "Compare and contrast ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Putting It Together: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control, 83. Positive psychology, ethnocentrism, and the disguised ideology of individualism. Ethnorelativism is the ability to see values and behaviors as cultural rather than universal. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. This. 3. Comparative advantage generally compares the output of production of the same type of goods or services between two countries. There are two types of cultural bias that can relate to psychological research: Alpha bias this occurs when a theory assumes that cultural groups are profoundly different. During his time with the Inuit tribe, Barger learned to engage in cultural relativism. a. Reading: The Cultural Significance of Health, 170. APA Citation Style, 6th edition: General Style Guidelines, 5. Understanding cultural relativism in a multicultural world. . This plays hence a great role in how and which culture we choose to adopt, and with which culture we relate more or adopt its mannerisms more. (The Greek root word xeno, pronounced ZEE-no, means stranger or foreign guest.) An exchange student who goes home after a semester abroad or a sociologist who returns from the field may find it difficult to associate with the values of their own culture after having experienced what they deem a more upright or nobler way of living. And it was nothing like that of her classmate Sanai. Unfortunately, I have seen it myself. Accordingly, Jeroen van der Waal and Willem de Koster state in an article that support for protectionism may be part of the link between ethnocentrism and nationalism on the one hand and support for . However, the results were different when these studies were replicated on other groups of people. Reading: Social Change and Modernization, 233. Europes colonial expansion, begun in the sixteenth century, was often accompanied by a severe cultural imperialism. That night, Caitlin crawled into a strange bed, wishing she hadnt come. Reading: Politics in the United States, 197. After two weeks in Spain, Caitlin had developed a bit more compassion and understanding for what those people had gone through. European colonizers often viewed the people in the lands they colonized as uncultured savages who were in need of European governance, dress, religion, and other cultural practices. These procedures would then not be used across other cultures where it may yield invalid results. In sociology, we call thisculture shock. Furthermore, it is the belief that other cultures are no better or worse than ones own but are equally valid despite their differences. The different results from other cultures were presented as abnormal and in need of explanation rather than considering that the differences are due to cultural differences in how children are raised. 226 Words1 Page. Continue with Recommended Cookies. However, indiscriminately embracing everything about a new culture is not always possible. When research does not consider ethnocentrism, this can reinforce pre-existing discrimination and prevent other cultures from having equal opportunities. Thus there is a greater sense of knowledge of others culture which drives one to view it as superior and aspire for it. When Rodneys host brother introduces himself and kisses Rodney on both cheeks, Rodney pulls back in surprise. As ethnocentrism implicates a strong identification with an in-group, it can lead to ingrained negative feelings and stereotyping of out-group members, which can be confused with racism. She is currently reading for a Masters degree in English. Theory & psychology, 18(5), 563-589. Outcome: Race and Ethnicity in the United States, 119. Many researchers assumed this study has the same meaning for infants from other cultures as it did for American children. Moreover, this concept was introduced by Franz Boas and popularized by his students although they did not use the term cultural relativism. What is ethnocentrism and why is it bad justify? However, the results from other cultures were very different. Shed studied Spanish in school for yearswhy hadnt it prepared her for this? An ( noun) ethnocentrist ( adverb) ethnocentrically views the world from an ( adjective . Tilley, J. J. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Social Stratification, 102. Modern researchers are now able to travel a lot more than they would have done in the past. Reading: Social and Psychological Changes of Aging, 186. It helps to remember that culture is learned. Clearly, this cannot be the truth we should believe and incorporate into all our businesses, but is there a middle between ethnocentrism and polycentricism. (2021). Symbolic interactionism The Americans often believe that the vine found and produced in France and Spain is more superior than that which is produced in its own vineyards, we find that they often also believe that the cheese produced in France is more superior to the Cheese which is produced in the United States. Hasa. c. Multiculturalism Cultural schemas are mental frameworks for interpreting the world that are shared . Outcome: Media and Technology in Society, 238. b. innovation It is a belief based on respect for other cultures, believing that all groups, cultures, or subcultures are inherently equal. All people are assumed to be the same, resulting in research that is universally applied to all cultures.