Ethnocentrism has been frequently used as a concept to explain ingroup favoritism, prejudice, and intergroup conflict in various disciplines including psychology, sociology, anthropology. A humanistic perspective, anchor, 1963, isbn 0385065299. The world ethno comes from greek and refers to a people, nation, or cultural grouping, while centric comes from latin and refers, of course to the centre. The term ethnocentrism then refers to the tendency for each society to place its own culture patterns at the centre of things. Behaviors associated with ethnocentrism include cooperation with members of the ingroup, but not outgroups. Ethnocentrism is the term anthropologists use to describe the opinion that ones own way of life is natural or correct.
In the united states, the first sociology course was taught at the university of kansas, lawrence in 1890 under the title elements of sociology the oldest continuing sociology course in america. William graham sumner introduced it, and he advanced the central theorem concerning the concept. Theories of conflict, ethnic attitudes, and group behavior laura levine, robert alan levine, donald thomas campbell wiley, 1972 ethnocentrism 310 pages. The resource book for teaching sociological theory published by the american sociological association contains a number of course descriptions for sociological theory. Cases for critical and sociological thinking by david hachen. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with concern to language, behavior, customs, and religion. The terrorist actions of alqaeda were and are unmitigatedly evil.
In its simplest terms, he held that ethnocentrism defined broadly as extreme attachment to the ingroupled to outgroup hate. K rowling had essentially taught the perils of ethnocentrism to those too young to know the term or even pronounce the word. The first book with the term sociology in its title was written in the mid19th century by the english philosopher herbert spencer. Pdf theories of ethnocentrism and their implications for. In his book the division of labor in society 1893, durkheim argued that as society grew more complex, social order made the transition from mechanical to organic.
This chapter analyzes four theories that claim to speak to ethnocentrism. Linking global consumer culture and ethnocentric consumerism to. As the belgian authority on ethnic relations pierre l. Nowhere is this clearer than in the publishing enterprise. As sociological work becomes empirical, it becomes more and more the study of the s we use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. Introduction to sociology adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical introductory sociology course. Ethnocentrism is the most important determinant of the rise of the extremeright in flanders dutch speaking part of belgium. These data were collected during a period of intense debate over nationalism in canada. Ethnocentrism sociology bibliographies cite this for me. Ethnocentrism has been frequently used as a concept to explain ingroup favoritism, prejudice, and intergroup conflict in various. Start studying ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, sociology, and anthropology.
Cultural relativism refers to the belief that we should not judge any culture as superior or. Dec 01, 2006 ethnocentrism is a nearly universal syndrome of attitudes and behaviors, typically including ingroup favoritism. Request pdf on aug 28, 2019, sammy smooha published ethnocentrism find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropologyas well as in colloquial. Polish sociologist ludwig gumplowicz is believed to have coined the term ethnocentrism in the 19th century, although he may have merely popularized it. Ethnocentrism is the act of judging another culture from the perspective of ones own. Students of introductory sociology are often left, at the end of the course, with a feeling that the term ethnocentrism denotes a flaw in human nature. Hiller, university of calgary elements of nationality constrain our sociological thinking much more than is frequently recognized. A study of the sociological importance of usages, manners. Pdf ethnocentrism is a slippery concept that different disciplines and individuals use in diverse, inconsistent, and incompatible ways. This book presents sociobiological studies which focus on the topic of ingroupoutgroup behaviour, a topic which includes ethnocentrism, xenophobia, nationalism and racism.
An essay in the sociology of canadian book publishing harry h. There is a theoretical framework that explains ethnocentrism. Four theories in search of ethnocentrism chicago scholarship. Download ncert books for class 11 sociology, complete book or each chapter in sociology book for class 11 in pdf. It is accentuated by two other phenomena, which are also probable etics. Ethnocentrism falls on a continuum along which the more ethnocentric tend to hold to more absolutist or objectivist moral positions. People tend to think their way of life and their characteristics are good and indeed better than those held by other people.
It was followed by no less than three other books which continued his re. The social construction of reality social construction 5. The fact of cultural diversity raises some important but difficult questions of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism. Pettigrew, in encyclopedia of social measurement, 2005 summary and conclusion. May 06, 2016 the author draws on literature from anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, and economics in this text to define ethnocentrism as a set of twentythree characteristics, nine of which are attitudes toward a perceived ingroup e. Fulltext download undip ejournal system uejs portal. Ethnocentrism, it is said, involves believing certain things to be true. Ethnocentrism is a belief that the norms, values, ideology, customs, and traditions of ones own culture or subculture are superior to those characterizing other cultural settings. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
But the astonishing naivety which decreed that america as a whole was a pure, innocent victim, so that the world could be neatly divided up into evil people particularly arabs and good people particularly americans and israelis, and that the latter had a responsibility now to punish the former. Ethics, ethnocentrism and social science research 1st. K rowling profoundly states in her book harry potter and the goblet of fire, differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. Sociology through active learning student exercises. In what sense are there biological, particularly evolutionary and genetic, explanations for intolerance of or aggression towards those who are not members of ones group. Adorno and colleagues classic book on authoritarian personality 1950 investigated the relationship of ethnocentrism with religiosity. A traveler from chicago might find the nightly silence of rural montana unsettling, not peaceful.
Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropologyas well as in colloquial english discoursemeans to apply ones own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference in order to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of using the standards of the particular culture involved. Core founders of sociology emile durkheim 18581917 was the first to take a position in a university and because. The chapter analyzes the nature of ethnocentrism and discusses the explanation associated with. Building peace, peace psychology book series, doi 10. In this response to dylan rileys article about pierre. Forbes begins by carefully explaining their concepts of ethnocentrism and authoritarianism. Comprehension of this concept is a major step in the acquisition of a sociological outlook. Ethnocentrism means that one may see hisher own culture as the correct way of living. As sociological work becomes empirical, it becomes more and more the study of the sociologists own society which is more often than not north american. When you receive the pdf proof of your article for correction, it is important to ensure that all. Differences in values and beliefs and the evaluations of characteristics possessed by a person or group often are the basis of conflicts.
William graham sumner 18401910 was the first to describe and conceptualize ethnocentrism in his 1906 book, folkways. Foundations of sociology read the matthew effect see the pdf located under the rubric by malcolm gladwell from his book outliers. Practice test sheets for class 11 for sociology made for. One of the authors of this book was surprised to find both. The other culture is viewed as inferior when compared to ones own.
Ethnocentrism is an important concept in the study of intergroup relations. Ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, sociology, and. Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropologyas well as in colloquial english discoursemeans to apply ones own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of using the standards of the particular culture involved. Empirical evidence suggests that a predisposition to favor ingroups can be easily triggered by even arbitrary group distinctions and that preferential cooperation within groups occurs even when it is individually costly. Ethnocentrism, taste and symbolic boundaries sciencedirect. Ethnocentric sociology social forces oxford academic. Read pdf sociology cultural diversity in a changing world sociology cultural diversity in a cultural relativism and ethnocentrism. Cultural relativism is a principle that was established as axiomatic in anthropological research by franz boas in the first few decades of the twentieth century, and later popularized by his students. Aug 06, 2018 ethnocentrism works to reinvigorate the study of ethnocentrism by reconceptualising ethnocentrism as a social, psychological, and attitudinal construct. Social dominance theory and social identity perspective compare and contrast critically evaluate in light of relevant research and theoretical reasoning a major focus of psychology is in understanding why group conflict, inequality and ethnocentrism occur. When you receive the pdf proof of your article for c. Sociology for a new century, by york bradshaw, joseph healey, and rebecca smith. Their work showed that ethnocentric individuals were particularly likely to report that they were religious, tended to engage in frequent religious practices, and found.
The term was coined by william graham sumner in his folkways 1906 and has long served as. A study of the sociological importance of usages, manners, customs, mores, and morals. Pdf ethnocentrism is a slippery concept that different disciplines and. Ethnocentrism is one of sociology s distinctive concepts. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that ones ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to ones own. Ethnocentrism the world ethno comes from greek and refers to a people, nation, or cultural grouping, while centric comes from latin and refers, of course to the centre. Various issues within the realm of the ethnocentric effect are discussed, and problems with the research concerning consistency of definition and measurement are identified. Preindustrial societies, durkheim explained, were held together by mechanical solidarity, a type of social order maintained by the collective conscience of a culture. You may print or download one copy of this document for the purpose of your own. That is, as ethnocentrism grows stronger, there is more acceptance of the notion that there is a single proper way to behave at all times and places. Apr 16, 2003 ethnocentrism is a nearly universal syndrome of attitudes and behaviors. These theoretical perspectives include ethnocentrism as a consequence of realistic group conflict, as an outgrowth of the authoritarian personality, as an expression of social identity, and as an outcome of natural selection. The book is designed as the ideal active learning companion to virtually all introduction to sociology texts, making it an ideal supplemental text for any undergraduate introduction to sociology or principles of sociology course.
Cultural relativism or ethnocentrism sociology bibliographies in harvard style. Using a broad, multidisciplinary approach to ethnocentrism, the book integrates literature from disciplines such as psychology, political science, sociology, anthropology, biology, and marketing studies to create a novel reorganisation of the. We show that ethnocentric behavior can emerge from a simple evolutionary model of local competition between individuals. Ethnocenrism t characteristics of ethnocentrism often. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Sociologists call this kind of thinking ethnocentrismthe tendency to evaluate the. Ethnophaulisms and ethnocentrism american journal of. Ethnocentrism cultural anthropology lumen learning. He then tests their central hypothesis, using data from a survey of attitudes toward nationalism among canadian students of both french and english extraction. The second edition of this book was published in october 2016. Sociology is falling into the sin it named, that of ethnocentrism.
The tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of ones own culture cultural relativism. This is a lesson plan that follows glencoes sociology and you text book for a 11th12th grade elective course. The range of classical theorists whose works are taught are montesquieu, vico, comte, spencer, marx, weber, durkheim, simmel, tonnies, sombart, mannheim, pareto, sumner, ward. Sociology an introduction to the science of sociology, new york, bames and noble books, harper and row publishers, 1957. Ethnocentrism can be so strong that when confronted with all of the differences of a new culture, one may experience disorientation and frustration. Closely related to the concept of cultural relativity is the concept of ethnocentrism. Sumner, an early american sociologist is that ethnocentrism is a matter of holding certain.
482 788 1090 251 1098 1445 70 675 754 691 262 591 443 225 546 1086 1249 1256 318 766 144 433 737 215 102 912 1325 624 1105 680 769