SUB CULTURE:

Introduction: (A subculture is a culture within a broader mainstream culture, with its own
separate values, practices, and beliefs. In sociology, the concept of
subculture explains the behavior of some social groups; sociologists study
subcultures as one way of studying culture.)
 The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached
to clothing, music and other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and also of
the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant
culture. Dick Hebdige writes that members of a subculture often signal their membership
through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, mannerisms
and argot.

 Subcultures can exist at all levels of organizations, highlighting the fact that there are
multiple cultures or value combinations usually evident in any one organization that can
complement but also compete with the overall organisational culture.

 It may be difficult to identify certain subcultures because their style (particularly clothing
and music) may be adopted by mass culture for commercial purposes.

 Subcultures exists within the Pakistan, India, Japan and United States. Ethnic and racial
groups share the language, food, and customs of their heritage. Other subcultures are
united by shared experiences.
Definition:
1. "a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance
with those of the larger culture. (Oxford dictionary)

2. A subculture is a cultural group within a culture that differs in one or more ways from
the culture. This would include differences in interest, behaviors or beliefs, like
religion, ethnicity, and social or economic status. 

3. capital" as the cultural knowledge and commodities acquired by members of a

subculture, raising their status and helping differentiate themselves from members of
other groups (Sarah Thornton)

4. Sociologists Gary Alan Fine argued that their 1979 research showed that a

subculture is a group that serves to motivate a potential member to adopt the
artifacts, behaviors, norms, and values characteristic of the group
5. A subculture is just as it sounds – a smaller cultural group within a larger culture;
people of a subculture are part of the larger culture, but also share a specific identity
within a smaller group.
Example:

 Ex: Chinatown: has American traits like public schools/Tvs/radio but their own foods,
clothing, customs, celebrations
 Ex. Soldiers on a military base have special traits like a rigid ranking system,
regulation, dorms

 Pakistani society has various sub cultures in dining, drinking, dressing and other
social walks of life

 Social networking websites are quickly becoming the most used form of
communication and means to distribute information and news. They offer a way for
people with similar backgrounds, lifestyles, professions or hobbies to connect.

 For example, Biker culture revolves around a dedication to motorcycles.

 such as tattoos, piercings, and certain forms of plastic surgery.

COUNTER CULTURE

Definition: 

 A counterculture (also written counter-culture) is a subculture whose values and

norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, often in
opposition to mainstream cultural mores. A countercultural movement expresses the
ethos and aspirations of a specific population during a well-defined era.

 A counterculture is a subculture that rejects and opposes significant elements of the

dominant culture. Countercultures can take many forms, from religious cults to
communes to political parties. A counterculture is a group of people whose values,
norms, and behavior clash with those of the prevalent culture

 A counterculture is a kind of subculture, a culture within a culture; however, not all

subcultures are countercultures.

 Sociologists use the concept of counterculture to identify cultures that are

antagonistic to a dominant culture.

 Today, members of anti-government militia groups exemplify a counterculture

because such groups favor much weaker governments than mainstream culture
does.

 Countercultures sometimes meet active or even violent resistance from the dominant
culture.

Example:

 Gay culture

 Homosexual activities

o Thousands of teens and young adults left school, jobs, and traditional
home life.
o Freedoms often led to problems with drug addiction
o Such as Americans became more casual in the way they dressed and
more open-minded about lifestyles and social behavior.
o Attitudes about sexual behavior loosened.
o New style called pop art emerged.
o Aimed to appeal to popular tastes
o Andy Warhol led the movement.
o Film broadened its subject matter as censorship rules relaxed.
o Film industry adopted a rating system.
o he Beatles brought new techniques and ideas to rock and roll.
o Bob Dylan wrote political songs and became the spokesperson for his
generation.
o Woodstock Music and Art Fair was the celebration of an era.

 Several websites appeared that posted user-created short stories dealing with sex,
drugs and violence.

 The following features are considered the most popular topics in such works:
 o Wide use of explicit language;
o Deliberate misspelling;
o Descriptions of drug use and consequences of abuse;
o Negative portrayals of alcohol use;
o Sex and violence: Nothing is a taboo — in general, violence is rarely
advocated, while all types of sex are considered good;
o Parody: Media advertising, classic movies, pop culture and children's
books are considered fair game;
o Non-conformance; and,
o Politically incorrect topics: Mostly racism, xenophobia and homophobia.

Hippie moments:

 Hippies were traditionally groups of people who started their own communities where
recreational drugs and free sex practices were imbraced.

 Hippies opposed nuclear weapons, the Vietnam war, and established institutions

 They were eco-friendly, and supported sexual liberation

SDS (Students for democratic society-USA):

 Began in the early 60’s

 Advocated non-violent civil disobedience

 Student activists

 Wanted radical change in the government

 Broke up in 1969 at their last convention

 Criticized racial discrimination, economic equality, big business, trade unions and
political parties

 Promoted better representation of the citizens, additional welfare to deal with poverty,
and more involvement of workers in business management

 SDS melt down created several individual groups led by various members of the
original organization.

 One group kept the ideas of SDS, non-violent civil disobedience

 The other wanted direct action against the government

The Weather under ground:

 Created a bomb factory in New York and led bombings against police stations,
government buildings, and businesses.Led by William Ayers

 Currently a professor
  Led bombings against the Chicago and New York police departments and the
Pentagon

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Cultural relativism : refers to the belief that we should not judge any culture as superior or
inferior to another culture. In this view, all cultures have their benefits and disadvantages,
and we should not automatically assume that our own culture is better and “their” culture is
worse.

Different cultures have different moral codes. Therefore, there is no objective truth in
morality. Right and wrong are only matters of opinion, and opinions vary from culture
to culture.

Cultural relativism is the anthropological principle stating that a person’s beliefs and
activities must be understood in the local context of that person’s own culture.

The actions rightness or wrongness depends entirely on the attitudes of the culture a
person finds him or herself to be in.

Origins:

Philosophically speaking, cultural relativism originated in the German Enlightenment, when

Immanuel Kant postulated that human beings are incapable of direct, unmediated
knowledge of the world — that all experience of it is mediated by the mind, which universally
structures experience according to the person’s perception of time and space.

 Anthropologist Marvin Harris couldn’t understand the prohibition of killing

Cows in India even though people are starving
• They play a vital role in feeding people by pulling the plows to Farm because
they can’t afford tractors, and through milks that’sa vital part of Indian cuisine
 Different societies share many general principles and virtues

– E.g. prohibitions on killing, lying, theft

– Endorse care of the weak and courage
• Different ethical practices reflect different conditions, not different principles
• Aristotle: we all aim to achieve the best life
– We all live in some society, and will need similar virtues for this
– Some societies endorse traits that don’t help people flourish

 There is no one ‘best’ life for people – the idea is culturally relative.
 Not all societies believe everyone is equal, so don’t agree that everyone should be
assisted to achieve the best life.
 CULTURAL LAG:

Introduction:

Within this century, life has been transformed by invention of the radio, TV, automobiles,
airplanes, rockets, transistors, and computers and so on. While this has been happening in
material culture, change in government, economic system, family life, education, and
religion seems to have been much slower. This difference in rates of cultural change led
Ogburn to formulate the concept of culture lag.

Definition: Cultural lag is a term to describe what happens in a social system when the
cultural ideas used to regulate social life do not keep pace with other social changes.

 Cultural lag is not only a concept, as it also relates to a theory and explanation

in sociology.

 It helps identify and explain social problems and also predict future problems.
 According to Ogburn, cultural lag is a common societal phenomenon due to
the tendency of material culture to evolve and change rapidly and voluminously
while non-material culture tends to resist change and remain fixed for a far longer
period of time.

 Due to the opposing nature of these two aspects of culture, adaptation of new

technology becomes rather difficult.

Examples: 

 Medical technology is being used to keep people’s bodies functioning long after they
would otherwise have been considered dead. This raises cultural questions about
when life ends, who has the right to end artificial life support, etc.

 technological advancements or changes in society occur faster than the changes in

the rules and norms of the culture that go along with those advancements or
changes. This can lead to moral and ethical dilemmas for individuals as the new
social norms are developed.

Cultural Lags Today

 Cancer Vaccine - A new vaccine became available against cervical cancer. Many
aspects of society were not ready to approve the vaccine for their teenage children
since they felt it condoned sexual activity by young adults.

 Stem Cells -Research has shown that stem cells can be very effective in the
treatment and cure of several diseases. However, society often still sees the use of
stem cells, particularly those from an unborn fetus, to be an ethical issue.

 Virtual Medical Appointment - Another case of cultural lag in the medical

community involves situations in which technology is used as a means of checking up
 on a patient. For instance, in one situation, a child had surgery far away from his home.
After returning home, his parents sent pictures of his healing wound to his surgeon to
ensure that he was healing as he should be. While, on the one hand, this can be a
valuable tool, on the other hand the consequences of using technology in that way have
not been determined:

HIGH CULTURE

 Understood as the culture of an educated elite.

o Hollywood cinema
o Most television
o Popular music
o Romantic fiction
o French cinema
o Opera on television
o Classical music
o Poetry

 Sociologists use the term high culture to describe the pattern of cultural experiences
and attitudes that exist in the highest class segments of a society.

 People often associate high culture with intellectualism, political power, and prestige.

 In America, high culture also tends to be associated with wealth. Events considered
high culture can be expensive and formal – attending a ballet, seeing a play, or
listening to a live symphony performance.

POPULAR CULTURE:

 The term popular culture refers to the pattern of cultural experiences and attitudes
that exist in mainstream society.

 Popular culture events might include a parade, a baseball game, or the season finale
of a TV show. Rock and pop music – “pop” short for “popular” – are part of popular
culture.

 In modern times, popular culture is often expressed and spread via commercial
media such as radio, television, movies, the music industry, publishers, and
corporate-run websites.

 Unlike high culture, popular culture is known and accessible to most people.

 You can share a discussion of favorite football teams with a new coworker, or
comment on “American Idol” when making small talk in line at the grocery store.
  But if you tried to launch into a deep discussion on the classical Greek play Antigone,
few members of American society today would be familiar with it.

MULTICULTURALISM

Definition:

 In sociology, multiculturalism is the view that cultural differences should be

respected or even encouraged.

 Sociologists use the concept of multiculturalism to describe one way of

approaching cultural diversity within a society.

 Underlying multiculturalism is the belief that members of different cultures can live
peacefully alongside each other; assimilation is not necessary, nor perhaps even
desirable.

 Contrasted with multiculturalism is the "melting pot" perspective, according to which

cultural differences — such as differences in religion, language, and other customs —
blend into another to form a new whole.

 Proponents of multiculturalism favor people keeping at least some features of their

traditional culture.

 The United States has often been described as a multicultural nation.

 Critics claim that multiculturalism threatens social unity and the dominant culture.

Multiculturalism is a system of beliefs and behaviors that recognizes and respects

the presence of all diverse groups in an organization or society, acknowledges and
values their socio-cultural differences, and encourages and enables their continued
contribution within an inclusive cultural context which empowers all within the
organization or society.

"Multiculturalism" is the co-existence of diverse cultures, where culture includes

racial, religious, or cultural groups and is manifested in customary behaviours, cultural
assumptions and values, patterns of thinking, and communicative styles.

ASSIMILATION

The term 'assimilation' again is in general use, being applied most often to the process
whereby large numbers of migrants from Europe were absorbed into the American
population during the 19th and the early part of the 20th century. The assimilation of
immigrants was a dramatic and highly visible set of events and illustrates the process well.
There are other types of assimilation, however, and there are aspects of the assimilation of
European migrants that might be put in propositional form. First, assimilation is a two-way
process. Second, assimilation of groups as well as individuals takes place. Third some
assimilation probably occurs in all lasting interpersonal situations. Fourth, assimilation is
often incomplete and creates adjustment problems for individuals. And, fifth, assimilation
does not proceed equally rapidly and equally effectively in all inter-group situations.
Definitions:

1. According to Young and Mack, Assimilation is the fusion or blending of two previously
distinct groups into one.
2. For Bogardus Assimilation is the social process whereby attitudes of many persons
are united and thus develop into a united group.
3. Biesanz describes Assimilation is the social process whereby individuals or groups
come to share the same sentiments and goals.
4. Assimilation is a slow and a gradual process. it takes time. For example immigrants
take time to get assimilated with majority group. Assimilation is concerned with the
absorption and incorporation of the culture by another

The term 'assimilation' again is in general use, being applied most often to the process
whereby large numbers of migrants from Europe were absorbed into the American
population during the 19th and the early part of the 20th century.

The assimilation of immigrants was a dramatic and highly visible set of events and illustrates
the process well.

ACCULTURATION

Acculturation: the convergence and acceptance of one culture into another.

Culture A Culture B

(English language from USA to Chinese masses)

1. Acculturation refers to the processes that occur when different individuals or groups

of people meet and exchange aspects of their culture. Due to advances
in transportation, communication, and technology, there has been a significant
increase in the interactions among different cultures. As a result, understanding
acculturation, and learning how to accomplish it effectively, has become vital to the
future of the world.

 ETHNOCENTRISM

A World of Diversity Ethnocentric, derived from the Greek words of Ethnos, meaning
race, people or cultural group, and Kentrikos, meaning concentrated about or
directed to a center is a word that greatly describes many cultures on this planet we call
Earth .
 The official definition of Ethnocentric is “ characterized or based on the attitude
that ones own group is superior” or “having race as a central interest”. There is a
whole world of problems, politics, and, other cultures, but it seems that the
average American’s only interest is that of themselves. The reason I chose to
 focus more on the American being ethnocentric is because I have been exposed
the most to this culture.

 People from other cultures often do things that annoy, frustrate, and offend us,
which is also true in reverse. This is a fact of life—and one which is not confined
to cross-cultural interactions; people from our own culture can also annoy and
offend us. While we do not feel bad if we are upset when someone from our own
culture irks us, when the perpetrator is from another culture, we wonder if we have
the right to be upset. Is it really fair to be angry with that person?

 Needless to say, when someone violates one of our cultural norms and does
something that is unnatural, this behavior is going to provoke strong responses
because abnormal behavior undermines our norms and thereby threatens what
makes interaction possible and holds our culture together. In short, when we react
to or judge the behavior of someone else, we are performing an essential function
for the survival of our culture and society.

 Thus, being ethnocentric is human nature. It is only when you’re dealing with
people who come from another ethnos that ethnocentrism doesn’t always work so
well. If you happen to be in their culture, for example, then the burden is on you to
figure out their ethnos. But if you’re in your own ethnos, then it is appropriate—
and a very good idea—to be ethnocentric.

 If that is true, then where does this idea of trying to be culturally sensitive fit in? It
doesn’t mean not judging the behavior of others but being open to the possibility
that the “abnormal” behavior someone has done may not seem abnormal to them.
It is still wrong for you, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to let that person know, even
as you would appreciate knowing when you violated another culture’s norm.

 Being culturally sensitive has very little to do with liking or accepting the strange
behaviors of people from other cultures; it means acknowledging that we’re all
strange depending on the context. Cultural differences and the judgments they
provoke aren’t the problem; the problem is to deny culture, which is just what you
do when you ask people not to judge.

 This is, admittedly, a rather extreme definition. The usual dictionary definition of
ethnocentrism is "the tendency to regard one’s own group and culture as
intrinsically superior to all others" (Webster’s Dictionary).

 Superiority of the own group and culture, however, (psycho)logically implies

inferiority of other groups and cultures. And viewing other groups/cultures as
inferior empirically appears to imply some degree (however small) of contempt,
stereotyping, discrimination and dehumanization of, and at least a modicum of
hostility toward, members of those other groups/cultures.

 Ethnocentrism: Brief History of the Concept

'Ethnocentrism' is a major theme in both biological and cultural theories of the

causes of primitive war.

 Also Darwin (1871) had noticed that early humans and contemporary
primitive peoples as a rule confined their sympathy to the own tribe and
 generally did not regard violence against other tribes as a crime. He clearly
saw the correlation between intergroup competition and intragroup cooperation,
which is the core of the ethnocentrism syndrome, in human evolution.

 Thus Tylor viewed ethnocentrism (as well as the obligations of the blood feud)
as making sense within a framework of primitive concepts of law and justice.

 Furthermore, it is a relatively old one. Though the term 'ethnocentrism' was to be

coined a few decades later, the concept was by no means unknown among 19th
century anthropologists such as Tylor (1871):

 In his Cours de la philosophie positive (1830-42) Comte dismissed the notion of

a peaceful golden age at the dawn of history. On the contrary, perennial and
savage warfare forced, according to his rather gloomy view, social solidarity
as a defense against enemy groups.

 Spencer (1850) thought that war had fostered ’social cohesion’ in

’conquering races’. In 1892-1893, after half a century of work, Spencer
completed his vast system of philosophy with two volumes on The Principles of
Ethics. In his studies of evolution he had hoped to find a code which placed
human conduct on a scientific footing. Instead, he discovered that evolution, as
seen to work in human communities, spoke with two voices, each enunciating a
separate code.

 Allama Ibn-e-Khuldoon’s theory of Alasabiya (Social Social solidarity) contains

more or less same meanings.

 Bagehot (1872), whose Physics and Politics heavily influenced Darwin’s thinking
on hominid/human evolution (Crook, 1994), had observed that the most
obedient, the ’tamest’ and the most compact (meaning approximately the
same as Spencer’s ’social cohesion’) tribes had been the strongest in the
early stages of human evolution: "The compact tribes win, and the compact
tribes are the tamest. Civilisation begins, because the beginning of civilisation is a
military advantage".

Definition:

1. In simple words, ethnocentrism means considering one’s own culture superior to all
other cultures. Ethnocentrism makes our culture into a gauge with which to measure
all other cultures as good or bad, high or low in the proportion as they resemble
ours. Most, if not all, groups within the society are ethnocentric.

2. Sociology. the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture.

3. Belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group

4. Overriding concern with ethnicity

5. Ethnocentrism is judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one's
own culture. Ethnocentric individuals judge other groups relative to their own ethnic
group or culture, especially with concern for language, behavior, customs,
and religion. These ethnic distinctions and subdivisions serve to define
each ethnicity's unique cultural identity. Ethnocentrism may be overt or subtle, and
 while it is considered a natural proclivity of human psychology, it has developed a
generally negative connotation.

6. A tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's

own traditional, deferred, or adoptive ethnic culture.

Some examples of ethnocentrism:

1. Example 1― Nazi Germany: This is one of the worst, most extreme, and most tragic
examples of ethnocentrism. Hitler believed that Jews, as well as people belonging to
some other communities were all inferior to his ethnicity, and did not deserve to live. He
had thousands and thousands of innocent people slaughtered in concentration camps, all
because they weren't of his 'pure' race, which was, according to him, superior among all.
Though ethnocentrism is not always this extreme, history does tell us stories about how
the concept and prejudice that rose from it, took such a turn for the worse, and had
horrible consequences.

2. Example 2― Imperialism: Imperialism is defined as a policy or practice by which a

country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world (Merriam-
Webster). The most famous example of it would be European imperialism, where
European countries believed that the other areas of the world, such as Africa, America,
India, etc. needed to be controlled by them owing to their supposed underdeveloped
natures. European countries establishing their colonies in other parts of the world is an
example of ethnocentrism: they believed that they were superior, civilized, and developed
than other countries, which is why they 'needed' to establish control in order to help these
countries come up to their standards, too. 

3. Example 3― Terrorism and Hate Crimes: This is again a negative example of

ethnocentrism. Terrorism and hate crimes take place when one religion or community
believes that it is superior, and better than any other religion or community. Ethnocentrism
tends to blind people from seeing things from another perspective― just because another
community does something that yours doesn't― like a particular style of worship, for
instance, doesn't make it inferior to yours, and nor does it make the other community's
style of worshiping incorrect. However, ethnocentrism can make individuals feel as if the
other community is bad, or wrong, and can make them take action in the form of terrorist
attacks or hate crimes.

4. Example 4― In Movies: In movies and other sources of entertainment,

ethnocentrism is often, but not always, portrayed in a humorous, light-hearted manner.
One example of ethnocentrism portrayed in a light manner would be the movie, 'The Big
Fat Greek Wedding', where a Greek family believes that being Greek is the one and only
acceptable way of living. However, the makers of the movie took great care to make sure
that the Greek culture was never shown in a negative or pushy manner, and that the
audiences took it in the way it was supposed to be taken.

5. Example 5― In Business: Though it is easy to assume that ethnocentrism affects

only the lesser-educated, less aware people in the world, it is not really true.
Ethnocentrism can be seen on a large scale in business, and at the workplace. For
instance, an employee may refer to his client as a 'moron' if the client needed some time
to understand whatever the employee was trying to tell him. A business owner might yell
 at his foreign employees and call them stupid because of their different races, cultures, or
values that are different from the boss'. Another business owner based in a developed
country may refuse to merge with a company that is originally based in a developing
country because he believes that the developing country is very inferior to his own.
Ethnocentrism thus is a part of business and is experienced at the workplace, but if it is
not controlled, it has the capability to even destroy a company.

6. Example 6― In Schools: Ethnocentrism can be witnessed in schools across the

world. Many experts agree that focusing a curriculum, say a world history curriculum, only
on the history of the major developed countries and ignoring the developing and
underdeveloped countries altogether, is an example of ethnocentrism in schools. Children
are taught only the greatness of one country, which might lead them to develop prejudices
against other countries. Sometimes, teachers and teaching patterns can also be slightly
discriminatory, which leads to ethnocentrism. The students belonging to minority
communities can feel sidelined, targeted, or ignored.

7. Example 7― Consumer Ethnocentrism: Consumer ethnocentrism is observed in

those consumers who judge others buying imported goods instead of nationally or
locally― produced goods. Choosing to buy a good is actually an individual choice, and
judging someone on the basis of their taste or preference is not a good idea. Consumer
ethnocentrism has become much more obvious since globalization, and consumers
affected by ethnocentrism believe that purchasing foreign goods is unpatriotic, as it does
not support the domestic economy but helps foreign economies instead.

8. Example 8― In American Society: The popular belief among American

ethnocentric people is that their country, culture, values, development, and everything
else is superior to every other nation in the world, and that every other nation is inferior to
the United States. This belief has led to political meddling among the matters of other
countries, leading to misunderstandings and miscommunication between different
countries in the world. The present-day politics are a good example of the same. Here, the
country as a whole can be considered as one group, or the in-group. 

9. Example 9― Ethnocentrism and Culture: Every culture on earth tends to impart

ethnocentrism, albeit unintentionally. Various aspects of culture such as mythological
tales, folktales, legends, religion, songs, proverbs, language, rituals, etc. promote the
superiority of that one culture over others. Though this is an unintentional kind of
promotion of ethnocentrism, it instills the belief that 'my race/my culture' is really better
than the rest, in so many ways in most of us, especially during childhood or teenage.

10. Example 10― In Daily Life: Like I said earlier, most of us tend to vehemently deny
this. However, it is true that we're all ethnocentric sometime or the other in our lives,
without even realizing it. For instance, if we see someone dressed according to a style we
don't follow, we immediately develop a biased judgment against them. "God, what is
he/she wearing? It's clear he/she has no sense of fashion." In an instance as small as
this, we tend to immediately conclude that the person we're judging has a bad fashion
taste, and we're much better than him/her. 

✦ Another example of ethnocentric behavior would be if a tourist on a holiday judges the

destination based upon his comparison with his native place. "Look how dirty this country
is! They should just see MY country. No wonder this place is so underdeveloped and
 backward!" In this instance, the tourist developed a biased judgment of the destination
based upon his opinion of his own country. Maybe if he had stopped to think of the
poverty rates of his tourist spot, or the dwindling economy, or even the history of that
place which was different from his own culture, he wouldn't have immediately deemed it to
be inferior.

✦ Food, or rather, cuisines, can also become a source of ethnocentrism. Very often,
people tend to praise the type of food that they eat, and put down the cuisines that do not
seem very appealing to them, deeming the other cuisines to be very inferior to their own.

11. A person of a different culture making jokes about the practice of eating certain foods
in another culture.
12. The belief that our religion is better than somebody else's.
13. Criticizing systems of living because they do not match ours.
14. Judging another culture because women do not work outside the home.
15. Thinking another culture is strange because they dress differently than you do.

Recently the examples that we have been faced about ethnocentrism are following:

 Movement for creation of Hazara province

 Movement for creation of Saraiki province
 Movement for creation of Bahawalpur province
 Issues and controversy between religious groups specially in sunni and shiah
 Abomination between the people of different provinces for example: Punjabi and sindhi,
 Punjabi and Pathan Baloches want to their own power and rules in their tribes.
 Muhajir (MQM) in Karachi has started movements for their protections

Characteristics of Ethnocentrism:

 Identifies strongly with in-group ethnicity, culture, etc.

 Generating pride and self-confidence among the people of a group, about the group,
themselves, and each other.
 Defining social standards and the behavior that a group is expected to follow, thus
maintaining uniformity among the people
 There's not much chance of causing internal conflicts.
 Immunity to external control and influence
 Defines their culture elements as ‘correct’ & ‘natural’
 Rejects out-group ethnicities, cultures, etc.
 Feels like other ethnicities & cultures are inferior
 Xenophobia: a fear or hatred of persons of a different race, or different ethnic or national
origin
Positive Effects of Ethnocentrism:

 Ethnocentric group seems to survive better than tolerant groups.

 It justifies sacrifice and sanctifies martyrdom.
 It reinforces nationalism and patriotism
 Without ethnocentrism, a vigor national consciousness is probably impossible.
 It encourages social solidarity in societies
 Forces of cooperation become stronger
 It helps to keep the nations tied to the concept of national sovereignty.

Negative Effects of Ethnocentrism:

 Since no culture is static, every culture must change if it is to survive, but

ethnocentrism do not support change in culture.
 It creates tight boundaries among various groups.
 Prejudice is created.
 Due to prejudice, hatred also takes its place in society.
 Process of social relations get slower.
 Conflict is created among various groups.
 It limits a person to a particular group, to which he belongs.
 Ethnocentric people are not influenced by social changes taking place around them.
 It discourages cultural change and due to this it creates backwardness.
 National development is hampered due to ethnocentrism
XENOCENTRISM:

Understanding Xenocentrism
In psychological terms, xenocentrism is considered a type of deviant behavior because it
sways from the norms of society. It is unexpected that an individual would value the goods,
services, styles, ideas and other cultural elements of another nation. However, in some
limited, circumstances, it has been noted that xenocentrism can help to shed light on cultural
deficiencies, whether it be ideas or products, and offers the opportunity to fix that which may
legitimately inferior to another country or culture.
It is also noted that self-perception and self esteem can contribute to xenocentrism. In
certain circumstances, some individuals may attempt to elevate their perception among
others by eschewing domestic products for foreign ones. By doing so, the individual believes
she is painting herself in a better light as a more educated, worldly and savvy consumer.
The opposite of xenocentrism is ethnocentrism which is the tendency to overvalue one's
own native cultural beliefs and values and therefore devalues the worth of the elements of
other cultures.

Definition:
 In literary sense, Xenocentrism means a preference for the foreign, broadly
speaking, Xenocentrism is the term used that the people have been convinced
that any products developed in their own countries are inferior to those that are
produced in more industrialized nations.

 Xenocentrism is the opposite of ethnocentrism which means preferring ideas and

things from other cultures over ideas and things from your own culture.

 Or more precisely in sociology term we can define it as that: It is the belief by the
people that the products, styles, or ideas of their own society are inferior to those
that originates elsewhere in any other developed society.

Some Examples of Xenocentrism

 Americans' belief that European's produce superior automotive vehicles
 European Renaissance artists desire to emulate ancient Greek artwork
 Americans belief that French or Spanish wine is superior to what is produced by
American vineyards
 The belief that cheeses in France are far superior to those in the United States
 The concept that the quality of Ireland's beer is far superior to that produced
domestically
 Coveting the culture of another country such as in Central America where the work
day is set up far differently than in the United States
 The belief that the way of dress by another culture is significantly superior and that
those within one's native country should adopt that same dress
 The belief that other countries produce better children's toys
 The concept that a quality product can't be purchased in one's native country
 The idea that cloth to make clothes is better produced by other nations
 Causes of Xenocentrism in Pakistan:

Educational institutions: It is the very duty of educational institutions to develop pride

among the members of the nations that they belong to a respectable and honorable culture.
If this feeling is developed, then nobody will feel inferiority about his/her own culture. But
unfortunately our educational institutions did not perform their duty well. Our education
policy is not such that we realize our own cultural superiority among the masses but it is
more towards the xenocentrism.

Might be it is one of the reason of our colonial masters who give us British and western
culture. We are neither proper Muslim, nor proper western civilized. We are hanging in
between our own Muslims, Indians or Hindus and western cultures. All this is what we are
teaching to our children and what we are learning in our educational institutions.

Some people of Pakistan are from foreign educational institutions. These institutions inject in
their delicate mind that your own culture is inferior to ours. So if you want to learn
civilization, then salute our culture and hate your own culture.

Media, a cause of Xenocentrism: Media plays an important role in order to develop the
minds of a nation. Western media is promoting their own culture, values and norms and
show other cultures as a deviance. The common example of this is the French media
making propagandas against American media. But in case of Pakistan or other colonial
culture the things are totally opposite our media is showing which should not be there on the
screen. They are playing with our culture, changing the mind of the nation and taken to the
masses away from our own norms and values.

Wrong picture of society by media:Sometimes advertisements promotes what actually

lacks in the society, but promoted in a way as if it’s penetrated deep in their roots. This is
why we say media / advertisements are used for propaganda purpose too. The
advertisements that have special messages in terms of glamour, elevates temptation to
cause to switch. The degree of acceptance may vary from individual to individual. It may
have ‘macro effects’ and not ‘micro’ ones on the society and sometimes the change comes
so gradually that before we realize it, we are practically into it. Cultural and Social norms are
such issues that are at a stake almost in every society, especially in the developing ones,
like Pakistan.

Influence of the Western Culture: It is very common in our society when one wants to
impress his/her fellows he says,” oh I bought this from Europe or I went to England and was
amazed to see their lifestyle and if I get I chance I will go there as I am wasting time in
Pakistan”.

Sad but it is a fact that our people prefer imported things over our products although they
are much better. It’s just not the matter of products but each and every aspect of our life
unconsciously influenced by Xenocentrism. Whether it may be the matter of dress, we prefer
theirs and feel confident and fashionable. We talk in their language and imitate their accent,
which we think can help us in making our status high. Even if we want to astound others, we
speak in English.
Once our dramas, talk shows and other programs were famous all over the world and other
countries used to copy our ideas but know the situation has totally changed. All programs
have fallen victim of Xenocentrism.

It’s just not the media world but our living style, our politics, education, culture and even our
religion have become an amalgamation of western and eastern.

Feudalism: Pakistan is hardly in metaphysical stage. It is among developing countries with

very low development rate. This is particularly so with regard to clichés such as ‘Pakistan is
an agrarian economy’, and the view, that ‘Pakistan is largely rural’ this causes
disappointment in Pakistanis.

Illiteracy: Pakistan is considered as an illiterate country. Foreigners take it as less civilized

and ill mannered nation state. Foreigner’s down pay sight of honor to this country.
Pakistanis are considered to be less motivated towards education and those who get
education having poor standard, don’t know its practical implementation. So, in practical life
they really failed in the society.

Effects of Xenocentrism on Pakistani Society:

Devaluing of culture: This is the very effect of Xenocentrism in a society. A xenocentric

person always hates all the features of his culture rather all the features are not bad. But
once he has developed Xenocentrism, he always dislikes his cultural characteristics.

Conflicts among civilizations: Ethnocentrism and Xenocentrism cause conflicts among

civilizations. For example, cultural conflicts of eastern and western culture are one of the
reason of xenocentrism among the society.

Product choices: Xenocentrism has made Pakistanis more brand conscious “Be Pakistani
& Buy Pakistani” concept failed to being adopted. People take Pakistani home product as
sub standard cheap and go to buy imported ones

Change of Styles, Architecture, Dresses & Foods: Our eastern and subcontinent way of
construction and architecture are now transferred toward western style. Our dresses are no
more National dresses. We usually use western style of wearing. We are more towards fast
foods from continental foods.

Destruction of Family System: Xenocentrism has destroyed our family structure. Earlier
we had a pride on our joint family system. But now we don’t like joint family system. Now
Pakistanis are more towards nuclear family system.

Destruction of National Language: Our national language is Urdu. But we feel shy to
speak in Urdu. It is because of Xenocentrism. We feel proud to talk in English. No one can e
successful in life if he is not experts in English. We have destroyed our national valuable
heritage only because of this Xenocentrism.
Consequences of Xenocentrism
Some examples of the consequences of Xenocentrism include: 
 Loss of businesses in the home country
 Loss of jobs in the home country
 Degraded economical situation
 Overall reduction of morale within the nation
 A loss of population to emigration
 Negative impact on the identity of others in relation to culture
 If adopted by large like-minded groups, xenocentrism could cause political
polarization

How to Reduce Xenocentrism in Pakistan:

 Our Institutions must be strong; our social institutions are polluted with xenocentrism
and are suffering from inferiority complex. So first we need to strengthen our social
institutions.
 Ideology of Pakistan should be properly defined and propagated.
 The concept of be Pakistani, buy Pakistani should be strengthened. We should be
proud of be Pakistani.
 Media should portray the real and positive picture of Pakistan rather than copying
the western media. It is the responsibility of media to promote our own cultures,
values rather than others.
 Common man doesn’t know that what the true national culture of Pakistan is. We are
stagnant with our ethical culture. But we didn’t think what the whole culture of
Pakistan is. Even, nowadays we do not have true ethical culture . We have to
develop certain culture policy so that the common men are made aware of our true
culture.
 We are lacking behind in proper promotion of our culture, the need of the hour is that
Pakistani culture at the international level will be promoted.

Conclusion:
 In our fast-changing world, the rapid transformations in communication and
technology are bound to influence our culture.
 If confidence and pride is not restored to our cultural values, it could result in the
adoption of only superficial symbols of these new changes.
 Such an adoption would lead neither to any meaningful change in our socio-
economic development nor to a meaningful integration of our social consciousness.
 It is essential that our cultural structure is receptive to new ideas to comprehend the
technological stimulation of consciousness.
 If globalization finds us in cultural confusion and chaos, we are bound to suffer from
externally imposed cultural patterns.
 Our cultural heritage is one of the oldest in the world and our people have always
shown resilience to new ideas.
 We need to rehabilitate our cultural pride and to anticipate its future manifestations
so that we emerge as a nation living in the modern world with a unique, distinct, and
proud heritage.
ANTICIPATED AND PAST QUESTIONS ON CULTURE:-

1.                    What is the role of culture in socialization of an individual to become a useful member of

society? Discuss with examples.

2.                   Short note – Ethnocentrism and Xenocentrism

3.                   Discuss the role of culture and social group in the formation of personality.

4.                   Ethnocentrism leads to sectarianism. Is it so? How both are number one problems of
Pakistan? What are the remedies?

5.                   Define and corroborate – Culture and sub-culture

6.                   Short note – Ethnocentrism

7.                   Short note – Value and norm

8.                   Define culture. Use this definition as a framework and discuss the salient features of Pakistani
culture.

9.                   Prove that “individual is a social produce”. Highlight the contribution of culture and society in
this process.

10.               Culture is everything which is socially learned and shared by the members of a society.
Discuss by giving examples from Pakistan society.

11.               “The cultural deception of the West and the cultural diffusion of the East lead to anomic.”
Elucidate.

12.               Often social change results in social disorganization. What cultural prerequisite can avoid
such situation?

13.               Why is culture indispensable to human society and what part do norms and values play in
social life.”

14.               It has been said that a person raised in one culture may learn to act like people in an adopted
culture, but will never be able to think and feel like a person of adopted culture. Do you
agree?

15.               Discuss the role of media in social and cultural change in Pakistan. What type of social
planning/policy is needed to direct this change in the context of our own social and cultural values?
Discuss with examples.