Shed learned a lot about Spain, but shed also discovered a lot about herself and her own culture. Reading: Introduction to Theoretical Perspectives, 15. Marias family sat at the table for hours, speaking loudly, gesturing, and arguing about politics, a taboo dinner subject in Caitlins house. Why It Matters: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment, 214. 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. 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. In reality, these travelers are guilty ofcultural imperialism, the deliberate imposition of ones own ostensibly advanced cultural values on another culture. (Photo courtesy of OledSidorenko/flickr), [reveal-answer q=436227]Show Answer[/reveal-answer], [reveal-answer q=248899]Show Answer[/reveal-answer]. Outcome: Theories of Racial Inequality, 110. Xenocentrism is the preference for the cultural practices of other cultures and societies, such as how they live and what they eat, rather than of one's own social way of life. Where he is from, unless they are romantically involved, men do not kiss one another. Reading: Social Constructions of Reality, 51. She understood that adjusting to a new culture takes time. For example, while all cultures have language, analysis of particular language structures and conversational etiquette reveal tremendous differences. Reading: Ethnocentrism and Xenocentricism | Introduction to Sociology Outcome: Race and Ethnicity in the United States, 119. Why do you believe this? Everyone is ethnocentric to an extent, and identifying with ones own country is natural. For example, while all cultures have language, analysis of particular language structures and conversational etiquette reveal tremendous differences. Ethnocentrism vs Cultural Relativism The difference between these two worldviews are vast but both views are very well and alive in today's society. What issues or events might inform this? Shed studied Spanish in school for yearswhy hadnt it prepared her for this? Reading: Symbolic Interactionist Theory on Education, 163. She missed her home and felt overwhelmed by the new customs, language, and surroundings. Reading: Recent Economic Conditions in the United States, 211. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Sanai had been forced to flee war-torn Bosnia with her family when she was fifteen. (Photo courtesy of OledSidorenko/flickr). It can take weeks or months to recover from culture shock, and it can take years to fully adjust to living in a new culture. Did you have an idea for improving this content? He further clarified that such a view would lead to a sense of pride, vanity, superiority over others, and contempt towards those that are not a part of that group. But ethnocentrism can lead to disdain or dislike for other cultures and could cause misunderstanding and conflict. To the Inuit people, winning was enjoyable, but their culture valued survival skills essential to their environment: how hard someone tried could mean the difference between life and death. In sociology, we call thisculture shock. The way cuisines vary across cultures fascinates many people. Read the full article Oxytocin promotes human ethnocentrismhere, https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/3-1-what-is-culture, Describe and give examples of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Almost everyone is a little bit ethnocentric. Putting It Together: Social Stratification and Inequality, 105. Cultural norms accompany even the smallest nonverbal signals (DuBois 1951). For example, while all cultures have language, analysis of particular language structures and conversational etiquette reveal tremendous differences. By the end of Caitlins trip, shed made new lifelong friends. A good example of ethnocentrism is referring to parts of Asia as the Far East. One might question, Far east of where?. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. A good example of ethnocentrism is referring to parts of Asia as the Far East. One might question, Far east of where?. Antonyms for ethnocentricity. For this reason, culture shock is often associated with traveling abroad, although it can happen in ones own country, state, or even hometown. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. They served wine and toasted their honored guest. Living with these constant adaptive challenges can make people feel incompetent and insecure. Reading: Symbolic Interactionism and Deviance, 82. This concept was developed to attempt to overcome ethnocentric bias when conducting anthropological studies. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. After two weeks in Spain, Caitlin had developed a bit more compassion and understanding for what those people had gone through. During his time with the Inuit tribe, Barger learned to engage in cultural relativism. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Social Stratification, 102. An exchange student from China might be annoyed by the constant interruptions in class as other students ask questionsa practice that is considered rude in China. 7. However, indiscriminately embracing everything about a new culture is not always possible. Why do you believe this? Xenocentrism puts others before one's own nation, which means that the health and stability of one's own is thought of as less important. Reading: Types of Formal Organizations, 70. In January 2011, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America presented evidence indicating that the hormone oxytocin could regulate and manage instances of ethnocentrism. It helps to remember that culture is learned. Ethnocentrism in its extreme form gives rise to racism and supremacist (e.g., the holocaust), while cultural relativism allows the propagation of certain practices that violate basic human rights (e.g., the practice of female genital mutilation). Xenocentrism Concept & Examples | What is Xenocentrism? - Video We relate to others through a shared set of cultural norms, and ordinarily, we take them for granted. 6.8: Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism - Social Sci LibreTexts Exceptionalism Cultural relativismis the practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of ones own culture. Exciting as it was, she felt isolated and disconnected. What are synonyms for ethnocentricity? Eventually, as people learn more about a culture, they recover from culture shock. Some examples of such universals include adorning ones body with ornaments, concepts of privacy, respect, and morality, etc. Such attitudes are an example ofethnocentrism, or evaluating and judging another culture based on how it compares to ones own cultural norms. It proposes that all cultures have their own merits and demerits, and hence are of equal value such that there is no concept of cultural superiority. By the end of Caitlins trip, shed made new lifelong friends. Marias mother kissed Caitlin on both cheeks when she greeted her. It is unexpected that an individual would value the goods, services, styles, ideas and other cultural elements of another nation. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.org. 3. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Urbanization, 220. Xenocentrismis the opposite of ethnocentrism, and refers to the belief that another culture is superior to ones own. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Sex, 133. 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. Likewise, most cultures recognize music in some form. Youll have more success on the Self-Check, if youve completed the three Readings in this section. A traveler from Chicago might find the nightly silence of rural Montana unsettling, not peaceful. But ethnocentrism can lead to disdain or dislike for other cultures and could cause misunderstanding and conflict. During her summer vacation, Caitlin flew from Chicago to Madrid to visit Maria, the exchange student shed befriended the previous semester. Sometimes when people attempt to rectify feelings of ethnocentrism and develop cultural relativism, they swing too far to the other end of the spectrum. Exciting as it was, she felt isolated and disconnected. . But the tribal members congratulated him, saying, You really tried! In Bargers own culture, he had learned to value victory. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Aging, 184. It can take weeks or months to recover from culture shock, and it can take years to fully adjust to living in a new culture. 21 Examples of Ethnocentrism - Simplicable Sometimes when people attempt to rectify feelings of ethnocentrism and to practice cultural relativism, they swing too far to the other end of the spectrum. Reading: Functionalist Theory on Education, 158. During her summer vacation, Caitlin flew from Chicago to Madrid to visit Maria, the exchange student shed befriended the previous semester. Ethnocentrism, as sociologist William Graham Sumner (1906) described the term, involves a belief or attitude that ones own culture is better than all others. In the airport, she heard rapid, musical Spanish being spoken all around her. What Caitlin hadnt realized was that people depend not only on spoken words but also on subtle cues like gestures and facial expressions, to communicate. The way cuisines vary across cultures fascinates many people. a. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply.See Wiktionary Terms of Use for details. 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. 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. A high level of appreciation for ones own culture can be healthy; a shared sense of community pride, for example, connects people in a society. Sanai had been forced to flee war-torn Bosnia with her family when she was fifteen. Over the course of his stay, Barger participated in caribou hunts, learned how to take shelter in winter storms, and sometimes went days with little or no food to share among tribal members. (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. Ethnocentric people think the ways they do things is the way things should be done, and every other culture's way of doing things is unsavory or undesirable. Why It Matters: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control, 76. North Americans keep more distance and maintain a larger personal space. Even something as simple as eating and drinking varies greatly from culture to culture. The differences and similarities observed between various cultures determine the way the people of those cultures interact with each other. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Gender, 130. Where he is from, unless they are romantically involved, men do not kiss one another. Rodney and Elise are U.S. students studying abroad in Italy. Reading: The Cultural Significance of Health, 170. Some travelers pride themselves on their willingness to try unfamiliar foods, like celebrated food writer Anthony Bourdain, while others return home expressing gratitude for their native cultures fare.