Ethnocentrism and

Cultural Relativism
Lesson 3
 Ethnocentrism
❖ethno- people, nation; centric- “center”
❖ The view that one’s group is superior compared to
another.
❖ In an ethnocentric viewpoint, a group is considered as
the center or core of everything.
❖ The tendency to evaluate other cultures in terms of
one’s own and to conclude that other cultures are
inferior, barbaric, or immoral.
❖ Practice of comparing other cultural practices with
those of one’s own and automatically finding those
other cultural practices to be inferior.
  Ethnocentrism is the view that one’s own cultural
elements such as norms, values, ideology, customs,
and traditions are dominant and superior to others.
 Ethnocentrism is a technical name to see things in
which one’s own cultural identity is the center of
Ethnocentrism everything over which all must be scaled, rated, and
referred to.
 This perspective led to conceited behavior and the
belief of the superiority of one’s own group with great
prejudice to outsiders.
Some characteristics of an individual with an ethnocentric view.
Ethnocentric persons –
❑ have a dominant cultural element which they see as
superior to other cultures;
❑ view rigidly their own socio-economic, political, and
cultural elements;
❑ see their cultural elements as normal and acceptable to all;
❑ consider in-group norms can be universalized;
❑ discard out-group ethnicities and cultures;
❑ believe that other cultures are inferior; and
❑ look at other culture’s elements as inferior and
unacceptable
 Ethnocentrism in Ethnocentrism in
MODERATION HAS EXCESS HAS THE
THE FOLLOWING FOLLOWING
POSITIVE EFFECTS: NEGATIVE EFFECTS:

1. promotes solidarity 1. leads to conflict

and loyalty with groups
2. develops cultural considered inferior
pride 2. oppression
3. genocide
 1. When you judge the behavior and beliefs of
people who are different from you.
2. When you believe that there are primitive
When do we cultures, especially if their way of life is different
become from your.
ethnocentric? 3. When you believe that some cultures are
backward if they lack the technology and
consumerism of your own culture.
  Cultural relativism refers to an objective analysis of
one’s own culture – seeing and understanding of one’s
beliefs and traditions from his/her own point of view.
 It also entails not to judge the practices of others based
on your own culture; hence, respecting it in their own
Cultural cultural context.
 Cultural Relativism is a belief that culture is relative and
Relativism different from one another, thus, it is important to
respect other culture.
 No culture should be considered better than another;
different cultures should be accepted, tolerated, and
appreciated rather than condemned.
 According to James Rachels (2003), the
following claims have all been made by
cultural relativists:
1. Each society has a diverse set of moral
conducts.
2. There is no objective standard that can be
used as a basis of comparison among societies.
3. High tolerance among all culture must be
exercised always.
 ❑Xenocentrism refers to a preference for the
foreign. It is the exact opposite of
ethnocentrism. It is a strong belief that one’s
Xenocentrism own products, styles, or ideas are inferior to
those which originated elsewhere.
and
Xenophobia
❑ Xenophobia is the fear of what is perceived as
foreign or strange.