The way cuisines vary across cultures fascinates many people. Reading: Lines of Descent and Family Stages, 141. 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. Such attitudes are an example ofethnocentrism, or evaluating and judging another culture based on how it compares to ones own cultural norms. 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. But bit by bit, they became stressed by interacting with people from a different culture who spoke another language and used different regional expressions. But ethnocentrism can lead to disdain or dislike for other cultures and could cause misunderstanding and conflict. Do you feel that feelings of ethnocentricity or xenocentricity are more prevalent in U.S. culture? The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own traditional, deferred, or adoptive ethnic culture. Due to the extremist nature of both theories, anthropologists employ a strategy that is a sort of middle ground between these two viewpoints. A good example of ethnocentrism is referring to parts of Asia as the Far East. One might question, Far east of where?. During her summer vacation, Caitlin flew from Chicago to Madrid to visit Maria, the exchange student shed befriended the previous semester. Putting It Together: Culture and Society, 53. Reading: Systems of Social Stratification, 87. Why It Matters: Social Movements, Media, and Technology, 225. They served wine and toasted their honored guest. Marias family sat at the table for hours, speaking loudly, gesturing, and arguing about politics, a taboo dinner subject in Caitlins house. A good example of ethnocentrism is referring to parts of Asia as the Far East. One might question, Far east of where?. Sign up to receive the latest and greatest articles from our site automatically each week (give or take)right to your inbox. Her imposing father kept his distance. Full list of synonyms for Ethnocentrism is here. She understood that adjusting to a new culture takes time. 26 Ethnocentrism synonyms. Why do you believe this? They served wine and toasted their honored guest. When they are introduced to their host families, the families kiss them on both cheeks. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply.See Wiktionary Terms of Use for details. Xenocentrism contrasts with ethnocentrism, the perceived superiority of one's . (Photo courtesy of OledSidorenko/flickr), [reveal-answer q=436227]Show Answer[/reveal-answer], [reveal-answer q=248899]Show Answer[/reveal-answer]. . Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropologyas well as in colloquial English discoursemeans to apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of using the standards of the particular culture involved. Sanai had been forced to flee war-torn Bosnia with her family when she was fifteen. Ethnocentrism can be so strong that when confronted with all of the differences of a new culture, one may experience disorientation and frustration. In the airport, she heard rapid, musical Spanish being spoken all around her. Outcome: The Environment and Society, 223. People with the best intentions sometimes travel to a society to help its people, because they see them as uneducated or backwardessentially inferior. These distinctions and subjective comparisons impart a cultural identity to each ethnicity. Reading: Global Stratification and Inequality, 100. When they are introduced to their host families, the families kiss them on both cheeks. 5.5: Reading: Ethnocentrism and Xenocentricism is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts. People react to frustration in a new culture, Oberg found, by initially rejecting it and glorifying ones own culture. Her imposing father kept his distance. Rodney and Elise are U.S. students studying abroad in Italy. The belief that ones culture is inferior to another culture is called: 2. In all these instances, you're considering yourself and your culture to be the best compared to all others. . It also proposes that no culture has the right to judge another cultures customs and practices and that a culture must be understood in its own terms rather than by the standards of a foreign culture. Outcome: Sexual Attitudes and Practices, 132. 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 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. 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. Ethnocentrism, as sociologist William Graham Sumner (1906) described the term, involves a belief or attitude that ones own culture is better than all others. Why do you believe this? Outcome: Social Stratification in the United States, 89. Citing Paraphrases and Summaries (APA), 4. Europes colonial expansion, begun in the sixteenth century, was often accompanied by a severe cultural imperialism. (Photo courtesy of OledSidorenko/flickr). 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. 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. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. 3. During his time with the Inuit tribe, Barger learned to engage in cultural relativism. Shed studied Spanish in school for yearswhy hadnt it prepared her for this? 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. During his time with the Inuit tribe, Barger learned to engage in cultural relativism. And it was nothing like that of her classmate Sanai. 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. Figure 2. This is so, because it is almost impossible to be unbiased while comparing cultures. It helps to remember that culture is learned. Answer (1 of 3): The main similarity is that they both are too much. It is impossible for anyone to keep all cultural biases at bay; the best we can do is strive to be aware of them. Originally from Indiana, Barger hesitated when invited to join a local snowshoe race. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Government, 199. If your professor comes into an early morning class holding a mug of liquid, what do you assume she is drinking? Anthropologist Kalervo Oberg (1960) is credited with first coining the term culture shock. In his studies, Oberg found that most people found encountering a new culture to be exciting at first. Caitlin was half asleep by the time supper was servedat 10 p.m.! Reading: Conflict Theory on Education, 159. Putting It Together: Deviance, Crime, and Social Control, 83. Sometimes when people attempt to rectify feelings of ethnocentrism and develop cultural relativism, they swing too far to the other end of the spectrum. The idea was formulated by Franz Boas; however, the term was later introduced by the social theorist, Alan Locke in 1924. Xenocentrism is a culturally-based tendency to value other cultures more highly than one's own, which can materialize in a variety of different ways. Sure enough, he finished last, to his mortification. Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging other cultures based. 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. Outcome: Theoretical Perspectives on Education, 157. There are very few things that are actually similar between these two views, the only thing that they really have in common is that they are b. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Medicine, 171. Outcome: Pop Culture, Subculture, and Cultural Change, 44. Anthropologist Ken Barger (1971) discovered this when he conducted a participatory observation in an Inuit community in the Canadian Arctic. What are synonyms for ethnocentricity? ethnocentrism: the practice of evaluating another culture according to the standards of one's own culture material culture: the objects or belongings of a group of people nonmaterial culture: the ideas, attitudes, and beliefs of a society xenocentrism: a belief that another culture is superior to one's own [/hidden-answer] Xenocentrism then stands in opposition to ethnocentrism, which is the belief that one's own culture or nation is superior to all others; those who show signs of ethnocentrism are said to. 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. In the airport, she heard rapid, musical Spanish being spoken all around her. It helps to remember that culture is learned. Why It Matters: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, 121. Outcome: Collective Behavior and Social Movements, 228. But bit by bit, they became stressed by interacting with people from a different culture who spoke another language and used different regional expressions. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Aging, 184. Cultural relativism is a view that a culture must be judged according to its own cultural standards. 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. Pride in ones own culture doesnt have to lead to imposing its values on others. It is impossible for anyone to keep all cultural biases at bay; the best we can do is strive to be aware of them. 6789 Quail Hill Pkwy, Suite 211 Irvine CA 92603. Reading: Types of Formal Organizations, 70. Legal. Shed learned a lot about Spain, but shed also discovered a lot about herself and her own culture. Cultural norms accompany even the smallest nonverbal signals (DuBois 1951). Synonyms for ethnocentricity in Free Thesaurus. Reading: Mental Health and Disabilities, 175. (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. Why It Matters: Health, Aging, and the Elderly, 168. Book: Introduction to Sociology (Waymaker), { "5.10:_Outcome:_Pop_Culture_Subculture_and_Cultural_Change" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.
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\newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\), Experiencing new cultures offers an opportunity to practice cultural relativism.
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