In everyday day life people are shocked at the way others are treated, but tend to not say anything. It is difficult to imagine what someone thinks about you because of the color of your hair, eyes, skin or even the way you communicate. “The origins of ethnocentrism were based on the findings of William G. Sumner, observing the tendency for people to differentiate between the in-group and others. He described it as often leading to pride, vanity, beliefs of one's own group's superiority, and contempt of outsiders” (Sumner). Ethnocentrism is a way of viewing oneself by judging another person. In our society and in other societies you will not find someone who is not ethnocentric in some way. However, becoming aware of the fact our outlook of others is centered on our own way of life can help stop any misunderstanding of human differences. According to Kendall, ethnocentrism is an assumption that we all make that our way of life is superior to all others (Kendall, 52-53). Continued emphasis on different ways of believing and judging have had adverse consequences on how others have been treated not just in our society but also in other societies in which they reside. Ethnocentrism can be better seen in the “implication of prejudice, discrimination and ethnic violence“ (Mueller) the Jewish people endured before and after the post World War II era in the Soviet Union and by the German Nazi’s.
The Russian Soviet Federalist Republic originated in the 1917. By the year 1936 there were at least 15 Soviet Socialist Republics within the Soviet Union. Prior to World War II, during the industrializing of the nation, the Soviet Union became a great power. “At this time the country itself was going through changes, the leaders of the countr...
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Ethnocentrism is when one culture judge’s another culture by the standard of their own (Health, 2001). Stereotypes, biases, and prejudices against other people are all in a sense a form of ethnocentrism (Astle, Barton, Johnson, & Mill, 2014). It is okay to be proud of your own culture, but you need to remember to do so in such a way, that you are not putting down any other culture (Arnold, 2016).
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This behavior defanately is an example of ethnocentrism. In fact, I've met several people that come from foreign countries and visit America and believe North American customs, and culture overall is the best. If American's get told these kinds of things, they might with time believe their culture is the best. As a matter of fact, I believe all cultures enjoy foods and customs from different cultures, which can reduce ethnocentrism. Great
Ethnocentrism causes people to make judgments about people or groups using their own "superior" culture or way of life as the base measurement. Ethnocentrism breeds prejudice and discrimination. It prevents a person from learning about different people and cultures. It promotes closed mind thinking and promotes "us" versus "them" mentality. There is a large portion of the United States right now practicing ethnocentrism. They are denouncing anyone who does not worship God. They are fighting against immigration, LGBT community, and Muslims because their beliefs go against their culture. They believe immigrants and LGBT are not worthy of the right to live in the United States, and anyone who does live in the United States must assimilate
... its proper expressions, structure and grammar. Moreover, each language is linked to a specific dialect which is associated with educational, economic, social and historical conditions. Moreover, cultural variations also exist in the rules for general discourse in oral communication. Similar to verbal communication, there are also variations in non-verbal communication between cultures. Gestures, facial expressions, sense of time and personal distance take different forms in different cultures. Furthermore, there is an infinite number of cultural diversities which are at the root of intercultural miscommunication. Variations in values , social relationships, religion, economy and politics consist of only a few of these diversities. These differences can be the source of ethnocentrism, if one becomes over patriotic in regards to one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism, is the concept which states that we tend to judge other cultures through our own. Ethnocentric behavior, can cause racism and chauvinism, as in the case of the Second World War. However, intercultural problems can be avoided if we all develop mindfulness, a sense of flexibility and seek information about the other culture.
Norms are by definition general society guidelines and expectations of appropriate behavioral conduct in a particular environment or society. These guidelines could be formal and written such as laws that prohibit stealing or they could be implicit such as behavioral conduct or dress code. Every society has its own way of endorsing and enforcing certain norms and standards of proper behavior while renouncing and sanctioning improper behavior. In general, norms are of a significant importance because they guide our behavior and maintain order in society by providing conformity. Furthermore, norms render behavior predictable rather than random, thus allowing us to predict and understand other people’s actions and behaviors in different situations. On the other hand, divergence from norms is termed “deviance” and can lead to chaos and instability. It is noteworthy to mention, that the culture background and context play an important role as each culture processes its own norms, values, standards and expectations. For instance, in certain cultures shaking hands between opposite sexes is inappropriate, and this is the case in Yemen. Thus our perception of norms in different culture is critical: either we choose to understand an individual’s behavior according to his own culture context and set of norms (cultural relativity) or we choose to understand an individual’s behavior according to our own culture which we believe to be more superior (ethnocentrism). An example of ethnocentrism where norms and values of a certain culture have been imposed on another is the banning of the veil worn by muslim women in France. In contrast, cultural relativism appears in Lebanon where muslim women are perceived in terms of their own culture and are a...
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. Kitchen, Martin. A History of Modern Germany: 1800-2000. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Sprout, Otto.