Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism (1)

O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!

It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An' foolish notion...

Robert Burns, from the poem To a Louse, 1786

[Translation: O would some Power the gift to give us To see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder free us, and foolish notion...]

Of all the many terms you will be introduced to in this course, the two I would most like you to remember are ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. While both terms are of great relevance to ethnographers, both are of equally great relevance to all modern humans. Unlike any previous humans, where different cultures were found scattered in discrete units with definite edges, modern humans find themselves in a world where different cultures are becoming increasingly "scrambled" together in the same social space, with no fixed edges to separate them. This increases the probability of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and ultimately violence. More than a quarter of a century ago, anthropologist Melville Heskovits pointed out that there are three types of ethnocentrism:

• Ethnocentrism is "...the point of view that one's own way of life is to be preferred to all others..." Most people in all cultures tend to feel this way (although in every culture there are exceptions). Ethnocentrism may be vital in providing people a sense of belonging to a group, something that appears to be a psychological need of humans. Without this type of ethnocentrism, it is difficult to see how any culture or subculture could possibly survive.
• Ethnocentrism literally means to be centered on one's own culture. This can be negative if one's own group is literally considered the center of everything, and all other groups are ranked or rated negatively in comparison to it. It is this definition of ethnocentrism that I incorporate in my definition: ethnocentrism is the belief that the values, beliefs, ideas and practices of one's own culture are the best, the most valid, the most natural, the most human of all values, practices, etc. Thinking this way about your own culture will almost invariably cause you to rank or rate other cultures as inferior to your own.
• Ethnocentrism can reach very negative proportions when "a more powerful group not only imposes its rule on another, but actively depreciates the things they hold of value." Examples of this third level of ethnocentrism can include apartheid, the holocaust, the near genocide of Native Americans, and many other more recent examples of "ethnic cleansing".

Ethnocentrism, particularly in its negative forms, is something an ethnographer is well advised to leave at home. It does not lead to understanding another person's culture, which is the goal of ethnography. It also makes it impossible to assume the emic perspective, to view and understand the world the way a member of that culture does. Just as you might not want a guest to stay in your home if they constantly criticized your behavior and laughed at your beliefs, so members of another culture might not wish to have you around if you criticize their behavior and find their beliefs laughable.

Ethnocentrism is something every culture teaches its members. We are taught by the process of socialization (enculturation) to not only behave and think the way we do, but to believe that it is the best possible way to behave and think. However, just because we prefer what we are used to does not make it any more valid than beliefs or practices that are unfamiliar to us.

Muslims at Prayer in Lahore, Pakistan

For many Americans, a street scene such as the one depicted above, where men kneel and repeatedly touch their forehead to the ground, might seem a distasteful and unnecessary way to pray. Religion is a major focus of ethnocentrism, since many religions teach that theirs is the only true belief system. We are ethnocentric about many of our own values and behaviors to the extent that we often can not see ourselves as others see us. The first lab exercise, to be completed after the next lesson, is an exercise in trying to see ourselves and our values and behavior as someone completely ignorant of our culture might see us.

For source of quotes, and more detail on this issue, consult "The Concept of Cultural Relativism in a Multicultural World", by Caleb Rosado.