According to E.B.
Taylor,
culture is a "complex whole,"
which encompasses beliefs,
practices, values, attitudes,
laws, norms, artefacts',
symbols, knowledge, and
everything that a person learns
and shares as a member of a
society. Likewise, a society is
understood or sometimes
judged based on their culture.
Ethnocentrism is a belief that
one's own culture is better than
others. They tend to compare,
evaluate, and even judge other
people's ways based on the
values and standards set in
one's own culture. Their
worldview is based on the
beliefs, assumptions,
expectations, and values
shaped by one's language,
behavior, customs, values,
religions and other aspects.
Due to ethnocentric
beliefs, many people are
blinded from seeing things
in another perspective.
Ethnocentric people tend
to dislike or make false
judgment on other
cultures. They tend
becoming biased and
judge another culture as
bad and wrong.
Even though we deny it,
most of us are ethnocentric
at some point in our lives.
Some do not even realize
that they are being
ethnocentric at that
moment. Below are some
of the examples of
ethnocentrism:
• The American society sees themselves as a world
leader. As a result, they interfere in the political affairs
of other countries and try to control them, leading to
misunderstanding and miscommunication amongst
nations which sometimes result to war.
• During the time of Adolf Hitler, Germans believed that
they are a superior race. This led to the death of 6
million Jews whom they considered as an inferior race.
• European countries go beyond their ethnocentric biases
and saw non- European cultures as uncivilized and
underdeveloped countries of savages and barbarians.
They used this perspective to justify colonialism and
imperialism.
• Cases of hate crimes and terrorism violence can usually
be traced back to religious conflicts and
misunderstandings.
Cultural relativism is a belief
that cultures are equally
complex. There is no such thing
as superior or inferior culture.
Cultural relativism is very important
in studying the culture of other
people. It is a way of viewing the
beliefs, values, and practices of a
culture from its own viewpoint
Another way to say this is that
others should understand an
individual's beliefs and activities in
terms of that person's own culture.
Cultural relativism promotes greater
appreciation of the cultures that an
individual might encounter along the
way.
Cultural relativism is a good
way to rehearse the norms and
values of a society a
requirement that one must
subscribe to, regardless of
his/her cultural origin. It means
that the function and meaning
of a trait are relative to its
cultural setting
