Ethnocentrism refers to the act of judging other cultural groups based on one's own culture It is a form of prejudice that dismisses the right of other cultures to recognition, while one's own is considered to be the only correct one.

Unfortunately, this ethnocentric attitude, which is widespread as a result of our own cultural precepts, can be found almost universally. In contrast to this is cultural relativism, which seeks to recognize and accept different cultures as equally valid.

In other words, ethnocentrism is a judgmental attitude that stems from someone's tendency to consider their culture as superior to other people's. It is a way of seeing the world in a subjective way, where the starting culture is considered as the standard to evaluate other cultures, disregarding the peculiarity of each one.

Table of Contents

• Meaning of ethnocentrism
• What is ethnocentrism?
• Collective and individual ethnocentrism
• Examples of the manifestation of entnocentrism
  • Ethnocentrism and racism
  • Ethnocentrism and xenophobia
  • Ethnocentrism and religious intolerance
• Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism
• Examples of ethnocentrism
  • Ethnocentrism in Brazil
  • Nazism

Meaning of ethnocentrism

In the dictionary, the meaning of the word ethnocentrism, according to its anthropological meaning, is the behavior of disregarding or devaluing cultures or ethnic groups other than one's own, due to differences in customs.

The word ethnocentrism originates from the Greek "ethnos", meaning people, nation, race or tribe, with the addition of the word "centrism", meaning center.

What is ethnocentrism?

Ethnocentrism is a concept in anthropology that refers to the thinking that one culture or ethnicity is superior to others Thus, ethnocentric people consider the norms and values of their own culture to be better, and thus tend to use it as a reference to judge other ethnic or cultural groups.

As a result, this can create serious problems, as it fosters unfounded ideas, prejudice, and discrimination. In other words, it can lead people to judge other groups unfairly, based on their own beliefs and values. And thus it can create deep divisions between social groups, which can lead to social tensions and conflicts.

Thus, ethnocentrism is a way of thinking that places the culture of one group as superior to others, and sets a standard of behavior that must be followed.

In this way, individuals and groups that do not follow this pattern are considered inferior or abnormal. Consequently, it is the use of this prejudice and judgment that can generate other forms of prejudice, such as :

• racism;
• xenophobia and
• religious intolerance.

Collective and individual ethnocentrism

It is said:

• A person is ethnocentric : when he thinks that his culture is the yardstick of correctness in relation to other people, which is one of the signs of narcissism.
• A culture is ethnocentric : when the members of that grouping of people judge their culture (including their art, their customs, their religion, etc.) as superior to others.

From an individual point of view, thinking about the psychoanalytic clinic (the therapy), we can relate this theme to the following recommendations:

• o psychoanalyst cannot take his viewpoint (his faith, his education, his political ideology, his family values, etc.) as a reference to be imposed on the analisand;
• o analyzing cannot close in on himself as "the master of truth"; therapy must help him to relax certain paradigms, especially in the analyzer's conflicting judgments about himself and other people.

Ethnocentrism begins to take root in Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries and can be studied from several perspectives. This is because it is during this period that Europe's relationship with other cultures, such as the Amerindians, becomes stronger.

Ethnocentrism starts from a mistaken and hasty judgment. For example, the Portuguese believed that the indigenous inhabitants of Brazil:

• had no faith : in fact, the indigenous people had their own gods or belief systems;
• had no king : in fact, there was a socio-political organization, including power assignments among its members;
• had no law : in fact, there might not have been a written law, but there was a code (both tacit and explicit) of what one could/should do.

We can say that cultures are different. And that certain cultures may have relative "standards of advancement," but that depends on the criterion used. It happens that often the choice of the criterion "most favorable" to one culture over another is biased. For example, to say that European opera makes European culture superior to other cultures from a scenic-musical point of view is to fail toknow that other cultures also have relevant artistic manifestations.

Examples of the manifestation of entnocentrism

We will exemplify the theme from the perspectives of racism, xenophobia, and religious intolerance.

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Ethnocentrism and racism

While ethnocentrism refers to the judgment of one culture according to the parameters of another, racism centers on the distinction between different human groups based on the belief that their biological characteristics, such as skin color, determine their social abilities and rights.

This idea was created and spread over the centuries, further reinforcing the inequality between people of different ethnicities. From this perspective, racial discrimination has been treated as a human rights issue, because it violates basic rights such as the right to equality and freedom.

Ethnocentrism and xenophobia

Xenophobia is a type of ethnocentrism, which believes that local culture is superior to that of immigrants This belief of superiority leads to the rejection of everything that is unknown, from customs to religion, considering it inferior to what is practiced in the place. As a result, fear or aversion to what comes from other cultures is common, and is the root of the xenophobia we see today.

Ethnocentrism and religious intolerance

Ethnocentrism and religious intolerance are directly related. In this sense, those who have beliefs different from their own are seen as wrong and inferior Likewise, intolerance can occur against people who claim not to have a faith, such as agnostics and atheists.

In other words, this leads to a classification, a hierarchization, and prejudice towards the beliefs of others, generating a religious ethnocentrism. Thus, it is a form of discrimination that cannot be tolerated and needs to be fought against.

Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism

Cultural Relativism is a line of anthropology in which intends to relativize cultures, in order to analyze various cultural aspects without value judgments or superiority. According to this approach, there is no right or wrong, but rather what is appropriate for a given cultural context.

Thus, Cultural Relativism states that the values, beliefs, and customs of each culture, must be understood and interpreted within that society's own norms, customs, and beliefs.

When it comes to Cultural Relativism, the meaning of an act is not absolute, but rather weighted in the context in which it is found. Thus, this perspective shows that the "other" has its own values, which must be understood according to the cultural system in which they are embedded.

In short, cultural relativism is fundamental to understanding what is unique in other cultures. The act of relativizing requires a detachment from rigidity in order to evaluate issues based on specific contexts. Furthermore, relativism is a positive tool to confront ethnocentrism and promote understanding.

Examples of ethnocentrism

As stated earlier, ethnocentrism is a term used to describe the behavior of judging other cultures based on one's own cultural standards. Which is often seen as a form of racism or prejudice. Examples of ethnocentrism include:

• judge other cultures on the basis of their own morality;
• use derogatory terms to describe other cultures;
• assume that the characteristics of other cultures are inferior to their own.

How to examples from history we can highlight the following:

Ethnocentrism in Brazil

During colonization, the phenomenon of ethnocentrism occurred, characterized by valorization of European cultures to the detriment of indigenous and African cultures As a result, this attitude has resulted in the inferiorization of languages, traditions and customs of marginalized groups, many of whom were unable to resist the imposed conditions.

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Nazism

The ethnocentric ideology of Hitler's Nazi government was put into practice with violence and cruelty. The Nazi regime instituted a series of discriminatory measures towards citizens of other origins in order to ensure the supposed superiority of the Aryan race.

As a result, these citizens suffered from dehumanization and the violation of basic rights, such as the right to life, work, and education. The most striking persecution was directed at Jews, who were subjected to deportation, imprisonment, and extermination.

In conclusion, the ethnocentrism is a term used to describe the behavior of those who place their own ethnic or cultural group above others. It is based on the judgment that the values, beliefs, customs, and traditions of a particular group are superior to those of other groups.

Thus, ethnocentric people can easily develop prejudice and discrimination because they are judging other cultures based only on their own. However, ethnocentrism can be overcome through education and understanding of different cultures.

Above all, it is paramount to understand and respect the beliefs and traditions of other cultures, and avoid the tendency to judge them based only on your own. The best way to combat ethnocentrism is to listen with empathy, educate yourself about other cultures, and develop a more global sense of identity.

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