These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. As nouns the difference between ethnocentrism and xenocentrism is that ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own traditional, deferred, or adoptive ethnic culture while xenocentrism is a preference for the products, styles, or ideas of a different culture. 3 Reasons Doing Nothing Can Actually be Productive, 3 Myths Far Too Many People Believe About the Past. It helps to remember that culture is learned. And an appreciation for another culture shouldnt preclude individuals from studying it with a critical eye. Why It Matters: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment, 214. 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. Outcome: Challenges Facing the Elderly, 189. Caitlin had trouble interpreting her hosts facial expressions, and didnt realize she should make the next toast. 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. For example, Americans tend to say that people from England drive on the wrong side of the road, rather than on the other side. And an appreciation for another culture shouldnt preclude individuals from studying it with a critical eye. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Aging, 184. Perhaps the Chicago traveler was initially captivated with Montanas quiet beauty and the Chinese student was originally excited to see a U.S.-style classroom firsthand. 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. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our site includes quite a bit of content, so if you're having an issue finding what you're looking for, go on ahead and use that search feature there! Xenocentrism is the preference for the cultural practices of other cultures and societies, such as how they live and what they eat, rather than of one's own social way of life. Cultural norms accompany even the smallest nonverbal signals (DuBois 1951). Her imposing father kept his distance. Reading: Theories of Self-Development, 61. Shed stepped out of her comfort zone. 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] a. Eventually, as people learn more about a culture, they recover from culture shock. The present world consists of a variety of unique cultures. Anthropologist Ken Barger (1971) discovered this when he conducted a participatory observation in an Inuit community in the Canadian Arctic. Originally from Indiana, Barger hesitated when invited to join a local snowshoe race. Youll have more success on the Self-Check, if youve completed the three Readings in this section. If your professor comes into an early morning class holding a mug of liquid, what do you assume she is drinking? ethnocentrism; xenocentrism; Show Answer. Why It Matters: Social Stratification and Inequality, 85. Ethnocentrism, as sociologist William Graham Sumner (1906) described the term, involves a belief or attitude that ones own culture is better than all others,and should therefore serve as the standard frame of reference. Reading: Healthcare Outside of the United States, 179. a tendency to evaluate other people, activities, cultures, etc. Shed stepped out of her comfort zone. Legal. A preference for the products, styles, or ideas of a different culture. But as they experience unanticipated differences from their own culture, their excitement gives way to discomfort and doubts about how to behave appropriately in the new situation. He knew hed never hold his own against these experts. A good example of ethnocentrism is referring to parts of Asia as the Far East. One might question, Far east of where?. Exciting as it was, she felt isolated and disconnected. People with the best intentions sometimes travel to a society to help its people, because they see them as uneducated or backwardessentially inferior. belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group. When they are introduced to their host families, the families kiss them on both cheeks. The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one's own traditional, deferred, or adoptive ethnic culture. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Reading: Socialization Across the Life Course, 68. We've created informative articles that you can come back to again and again when you have questions or want to learn more! An exchange student from China might be annoyed by the constant interruptions in class as other students ask questionsa practice that is considered rude in China. A more modern example of cultural imperialism may include the work of international aid agencies who introduce agricultural methods and plant species from developed countries while overlooking indigenous varieties and agricultural approaches that are better suited to the particular region. Putting It Together: Government and Politics, 200. We relate to others through a shared set of cultural norms, and ordinarily, we take them for granted. But the tribal members congratulated him, saying, You really tried! In Bargers own culture, he had learned to value victory. In the United States, for instance, it is often assumed that European products such as wine and cheese are superior to those produced locally. 26 Ethnocentrism synonyms. Music and laughter are examples of: [reveal-answer q=72875]Show Answer[/reveal-answer], http://cnx.org/contents/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d/Introduction_to_Sociology_2e, http://cnx.org/contents/02040312-72c9333f3e1d@3.49. The main similarity is that they both are too much. 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. The way cuisines vary across cultures fascinates many people. Shed learned a lot about Spain, but shed also discovered a lot about herself and her own culture. RT @VirgilWalkerOMA: "Many would contend that the struggle for social justice and the propagation of Christian nationalism share no similarities. It involves evaluating other cultures and ethnic groups based on the standards and values of one's own group and viewing them as inferior or less important. Reading: Defining the Sociological Imagination, 13. An American visiting Italy might long for a real pizza or complain about the unsafe driving habits of Italians compared to people in the United States. and not in comparison to another culture culture shock: an experience of personal . Culture shock may appear because people arent always expecting cultural differences. Reading: Systems of Social Stratification, 87. Reading: Symbolic Interactionism on Media and Technology, 243. Living with these constant adaptive challenges can make people feel incompetent and insecure. Where he is from, unless they are romantically involved, men do not kiss one another. Pride in ones own culture doesnt have to lead to imposing its values on others. Reading: Types and Stages of Social Movements, 229. Part of ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own race, ethnic or cultural group is the most important or that some or all aspects of its culture are superior to those of other groups. European colonizers often viewed the people in the lands they colonized as uncultured savages who were in need of European governance, dress, religion, and other cultural practices. In the United States, its most likely filled with coffee, not Earl Grey tea, a favorite in England, or Yak Butter tea, a staple in Tibet. 1. Practicing cultural relativism requires an open mind and a willingness to consider, and even adapt to, new values and norms. We hope you enjoy this website. Xenocentrism is the opposite of ethnocentrism, and refers to the belief that another culture is superior to one's own. Practicing cultural relativism requires an open mind and a willingness to consider, and even adapt to, new values and norms. Often, people in the United States express disgust at other cultures cuisine and think that its gross to eat meat from a dog or guinea pig, for example, while they dont question their own habit of eating cows or pigs. Distinctions are made between different cultures based on language, behavior, customs, traditions, religion, etc. And it was nothing like that of her classmate Sanai. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; additional terms may apply.See Wiktionary Terms of Use for details. Marias mother kissed Caitlin on both cheeks when she greeted her. Reading: Class Structure in the United States, 92. Ethnocentric people think the ways they do things is the way things should be done, and every other culture's way of doing things is unsavory or undesirable. If your professor comes into an early morning class holding a mug of liquid, what do you assume she is drinking? Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Marriage and Family, 145. Perhaps the greatest challenge for sociologists studying different cultures is the matter of keeping a perspective. Xenocentrism contrasts with ethnocentrism, the perceived superiority of one's . And an appreciation for another culture shouldnt preclude individuals from studying it with a critical eye. It proposes that all cultures have their own merits and demerits, and hence are of equal value such that there is no concept of cultural superiority. Putting It Together: Culture and Society, 53. Reading: Symbolic Interactionist Theory on Education, 163. Outcome: Theoretical Perspectives on Stratification, 101. For example, while all cultures have language, analysis of particular language structures and conversational etiquette reveal tremendous differences. Introductory Sociology by Lumen Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Citing Paraphrases and Summaries (APA), 4. She understood that adjusting to a new culture takes time. The people who maintain an ethnocentric view in life will not typically bother much about other societies and cultures in the world, past or present. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism Despite how much humans have in common, cultural differences are far more prevalent than cultural universals. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. Perhaps the Chicago traveler was initially captivated by Montanas quiet beauty and the Chinese student was originally excited to see a U.S.-style classroom firsthand. These distinctions and subjective comparisons impart a cultural identity to each ethnicity. Putting It Together: Social Movements, Media, and Technology. Outcome: Collective Behavior and Social Movements, 228. 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. Putting It Together: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment, 224. The present world consists of a variety of unique cultures. In reality, these travelers are guilty ofcultural imperialism, the deliberate imposition of ones own ostensibly advanced cultural values on another culture. In reality, these travelers are guilty ofcultural imperialism, the deliberate imposition of ones own cultural values on another culture. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.org. 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. Cultural relativismis the practice of assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of ones own culture. Ethnocentrism in its extreme form gives rise to racism and supremacist (e.g., the holocaust), while cultural relativism allows the propagation of certain practices that violate basic human rights (e.g., the practice of female genital mutilation). Ethnocentrism can be so strong that when confronted with all of the differences of a new culture, one may experience disorientation and frustration. Figure 1. The belief that ones culture is inferior to another culture is called: 2. An American visiting Italy might long for a real pizza or complain about the unsafe driving habits of Italians compared to people in the United States. 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. Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Urbanization, 220. She understood that adjusting to a new culture takes time. the practice of assessing a culture by its own standards, and not in comparison to another culture cultural universals: patterns or traits that are . Exciting as it was, she felt isolated and disconnected. Other articles where ethnocentrism is discussed: race: The difference between racism and ethnocentrism: racism must be distinguished from ethnicity and ethnocentrism. Ethnocentric individuals believe that their own ethnicity is centrally important and all other cultures and ethnicity must be judged according to the standards of their own culture.
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