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Lydia Sy

PHIL 1312 (1)

Professor Burleson

April 28th, 2024

Cultural relativism and its impact on our society

Have you ever seen or eaten food from another country, such as dried squid or fried

crickets and thought of it as weird or gross? This is an excellent example of ethnocentrism. It

means that you are using your own culture as the center and evaluate other cultures based on it.

Furthermore, you are judging, or making assumptions about the food of other countries based on your

own norms, values, and beliefs. Thinking that dried squid is “smelly” or assuming that people

“shouldn’t eat insects” are examples of ethnocentrism in societies or cultures where people do not eat

dried squid or insects. Nevertheless, in a multicultural and open society it is necessary to avoid

judging cultural practices of groups that are different to yours, which can be achieved with the cultural

relativism approach. Thereby, it refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is right or

wrong, strange, or normal. But how can we imply cultural relativism to our society? What are the

several types and how does it impact us as individuals in our lives and careers? These and more

questions will be analyzed in the following paper. Additionally, Franz Boas, anthropologist, and

philosopher, will be introduced as well as his understanding of cultural relativism and its importance.

This will enable a better understanding of ethical theory and provide professional examples.

How is culture defined?

Culture, in general, can be defined as the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics

shared by groups of people. It could also be based on shared ethnicity, gender, customs, values, or

even objects. In addition to that, culture can also demonstrate the way a group thinks, their practices,
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or behavioral patterns, or their views of the world. Additionally, culture can also demonstrate the way

a group thinks, their patterns, or their views of the world. For instance, in some countries like China,

it is not acceptable to stare at others in public, or to stand remarkably close to others in public spaces

(Herskovits et al. 52). Contrary to that, in South Africa it is even regarded as polite, when you enter an

empty bus or movie theater and sit next to the only person there (Herskovits et al. 52,53). These are

some examples of cultural norms that people in one society may be used to. Nevertheless, norms are

neither right nor wrong. They just differ based on your cultural background and your experiences.

Unfortunately, in a world where a lot of different

people, cultures, norms, and beliefs collide, a lot of

discrimination and ethnocentrism happens. Ethnocentrism

can be defined as the tendency to look at the world

primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture

(Fernández 484). Part of ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own race, ethnic or cultural group is the

most important and the some or all aspects of its culture are superior to those of other groups, which is

also known as cultural ignorance (Fernández 484). To avoid ethnocentrism, the cultural relativism

approach can be helpful. Thereby, cultural relativism is the principle of regarding and valuing the

view of that culture and to avoid making hasty judgements (Abu-Lughold 785). Furthermore, cultural

relativism tries to counter ethnocentrism by promoting the understanding of cultural practices that are

unfamiliar to other cultures, such as eating insects, genocides, or genital cutting genitals. Just like in

the picture above, instead of showing disgust towards other cultures or their norms, we must be more

open and at least try to understand why they do what they do or why they eat what they eat.

Even though cultural relativism promotes the appreciation for cultural differences, it can also

be problematic. At its most extreme, cultural relativism leaves no room for criticism of other cultures,

even if certain cultural practices are horrific or harmful (Healy 15). Many practices have drawn

criticism over the years. In Madagascar, for example, the “famahidana” funeral tradition includes

bringing bodies out from tombs once every seven years, wrapping them in cloth, and dancing with

them. Some people view this practice disrespectful to the body of the deceased person (Abu-Lughold
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786). In cultural relativism we are supposed to show openness and understanding towards rituals like

this because just because it might be unusual and a horrible act to us, does not mean it carries no value

in another culture or should even be forbidden. But how much understanding and acceptance is too

much? Is it morally and ethically okay to watch people getting harmed? Today, a debate rages about

the ritual cutting of genitals of girls in several Middle Eastern and African cultures. To a lesser extent,

this same debate arises around the circumcision of baby boys in Western hospitals. When considering

harmful cultural traditions, it can be patronizing to use cultural relativism as an excuse for avoiding

debate. To assume that people from other cultures are neither mature enough nor responsible enough

to consider criticism from the outside is demeaning.

Franz Boas and his understanding of cultural relativism

Franz Boas is regarded as both the “father of modern anthropology” and

the “father of American anthropology”. He was the first to apply the scientific

method to anthropology, emphasizing a research- first method of generating

theories. Furthermore, he heavily influenced the field of anthropology with his

theories, most notably cultural relativism (Fleischacker 4). Boas’ personal life had a significant impact

on his ideas and work as an anthropologist. He grew up as a Jewish German and was raised by liberal-

minded parents and as a child, he spent a lot of time reading in engaging in autodidacticism

(Fleischacker 7+8).

Franz Boas’ most significant contribution to anthropology is the theory of cultural relativism.

Up until Boas presented his findings after his Baffin Island expedition, many social scientists believed

that any culture outside of Western civilization was somehow inferior (Fleischacker 10). However,

cultural relativism rejects the idea that there are universally right or wrong. Therefore, the only culture

own can judge is the one that they are part of. “Franz Boas developed the idea of cultural relativism

after the Baffin Island excursion.” (“Franz Boas | Theories, Contributions to Anthropology &

Legacy”) After spending time with the Inuit population on Baffin Island, Boas rejected the widely

held notion that Western civilization was in any way superior. Boas sought to understand Inuits as

they understood themselves, rather than through his own lens. Consequently, he started realizing that
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it was not fair to judge other people’s cultures just because it was different from what he was used to.

As a result, he defined cultural relativism as the theory that diverse cultures each have their own

ethical and social standards that reflect their individual culture’s beliefs, and the only culture an

individual truly knows is their own.

Boas mapped cultural within regions and how these traits are shared, using historical

particularism, rather than the more critical social evolutionary path by Darwin. (“Franz Boas |

Theories, Contributions to Anthropology & Legacy”) Darwin developed his theory of an evolutionary

path to civilization after observing the Yaghan tribe in Brazil. He observed that people who were

taken from their tribe and brought to Europe returned to their original ways of life once they returned

to Brazil. Moreover, Boas believed in diffusion which is the theory that cultural traits are shared by

regions due to their interactions during battle, trade, and migration.

How does cultural relativism apply to me and my future career

Born in Senegal, West Africa, growing up in Germany, and going to College in the United

States, cultural relativism has always been a part of my life. In a society where people have no

openness towards other cultures, I found myself constantly trying to fit in and suppress my own

culture because it was regarded as “strange or weird”. Since I experienced and lived in three distinct

cultures, and I know how it feels when people talk negatively about your culture without even

knowing it, I always did and will support cultural relativism. It is exceedingly important to treat

people with respect and show understanding towards unfamiliar cultures. Even in my future career in

the Criminal Justice field, it is important to not stereotype or have prejudices against people that

might be different or have different morals and beliefs than you. When you understand where a person

comes from, how that person lives, and what he has been through, it will be easier to understand why

they acted or did what they did.

Furthermore, I think that accepting and being open towards diverse cultures is a beautiful

thing because it can broaden your perspective and knowledge as well as enrich our society with

multiculturalism. People would not fear being judged anymore and can finally just be who they truly
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are. Unfortunately, we will never live in that type of utopia where everything is simply perfect, no

hate or judgement exists, and everybody just has a good relationship with each other. Nevertheless,

we can improve our society and it starts with cultural relativism and the way we view and treat each

other.

To conclude, it can be said that cultural relativism plays a crucial role in a world where

diverse cultures collide into each other. Instead of supporting ethnocentrism we should act more

towards cultural relativism by respecting each other’s cultures and beliefs. There is no one right

culture and just the way people are unique and individual, are also their morals and beliefs. People

usually only know their own culture because they have never been outside of it and experienced a

different one. But until this happens, they should not be able to judge other cultures because they do

not have any knowledge about it. A perfect example is the German philosopher, Franz Boas, who

himself believed that the Western culture was superior to others until he went to the Baffin Islands

and firsthand experienced another culture. Cultural relativism does not just promote understanding of

cultural practices that are not part of one’s own culture, but it can also develop personal moral norms

based on societal norms. It helps to keep human cultures relevant.

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Works cited page

Abu‐Lughod, L. (2002). Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological

Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others. American Anthropologist, 104(3), 783–

790. https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.2002.104.3.783

Fernández, J. W. (2015). Cultural Relativism, Anthropology of. In Elsevier eBooks (S. 484–

487). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.12047-1

Fleischacker, S. (2011). Adam Smith and cultural relativism. Erasmus Journal for

Philosophy and Economics, 4(2), 20. https://doi.org/10.23941/ejpe.v4i2.79

Healy, L. M. (2007). Universalism and cultural relativism in social work ethics. International

Social Work, 50(1), 11–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872807071479

Herskovits, M. J. & Herskovits, F. S. (1972). Cultural Relativism Perspectives in Cultural

Pluralism. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA11099772

Handler, Richard. “Boasian Anthropology and the Critique of American Culture.” American

Quarterly, vol. 42, no. 2, June 1990, p. 252. https://doi.org/10.2307/2713017.

Marsh, Diana E. “Franz Boas: The Emergence of the Anthropologist.” the Journal of

American Folklore, vol. 134, no. 533, July 2021, pp. 361–63.

https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerfolk.134.533.0361.

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