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    Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

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    Debora Chantengco-Viray
    The document discusses ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. It defines ethnocentrism as judging other cultures based on one's own cultural standards and viewing one's culture as superior. In contrast, cultural relativism is the idea that cultural norms and beliefs depend on cultural context and should not be judged by outsiders. The document suggests cultural relativism can help mitigate ethnocentrism by promoting understanding of other cultures in their own terms rather than through one's own biases.

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    Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

    Uploaded by

    Debora Chantengco-Viray
    162 views24 pages
    The document discusses ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. It defines ethnocentrism as judging other cultures based on one's own cultural standards and viewing one's culture as superior. In contrast, cultural relativism is the idea that cultural norms and beliefs depend on cultural context and should not be judged by outsiders. The document suggests cultural relativism can help mitigate ethnocentrism by promoting understanding of other cultures in their own terms rather than through one's own biases.

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    9. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

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    The document discusses ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. It defines ethnocentrism as judging other cultures based on one's own cultural standards and viewing one's culture as superior. In contrast, cultural relativism is the idea that cultural norms and beliefs depend on cultural context and should not be judged by outsiders. The document suggests cultural relativism can help mitigate ethnocentrism by promoting understanding of other cultures in their own terms rather than through one's own biases.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    162 views24 pages

    Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

    Uploaded by

    Debora Chantengco-Viray
    The document discusses ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. It defines ethnocentrism as judging other cultures based on one's own cultural standards and viewing one's culture as superior. In contrast, cultural relativism is the idea that cultural norms and beliefs depend on cultural context and should not be judged by outsiders. The document suggests cultural relativism can help mitigate ethnocentrism by promoting understanding of other cultures in their own terms rather than through one's own biases.

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    ET H NO C E N T R I S M A ND

    C U L TU R A L R E L A TI V IS M
    ETHNOCENTRISM
    •PEOPLE HAVE A TENDENCY TO JUDGE OR
    EVALUATE OTHER CULTURES IN THE CONTEXT OF
    THEIR OWN CULTURE. LANGUAGE, BEHAVIOR,
    CUSTOMS, OR RELIGION, WHICH ARE
    UNDERSTANDABLY UNIQUE FOR EVERY CULTURE
    ARE THE COMMON SUBJECTS OF THESE
    JUDGMENTS. SOCIOLOGICALLY SPEAKING, THIS
    IDEOLOGY OR TENDENCY IS KNOWN
    •ETHNOCENTRISM IS THE IDEA THAT ONE’S OWN
    CULTURE IS ABOVE OR SUPERIOR THAN OTHERS'. IT IS
    ALSO THE BELIEF THAT ONE'S OWN CULTURE IS THE
    MAIN STANDARD BY WHICH OTHER CULTURES MAY BE
    MEASURED OR UNDERSTOOD. ETHNOCENTRISM IS
    FAILING OR REFUSING TO SEE THE WORLD AND ITS
    ASPECTS IN A WIDER OR ENCOMPASSING
    PERSPECTIVE. IT MAY CAUSE PEOPLE TO PRACTICE
    BIAS AND INTOLERANCE.
    CULTURAL RELATIVISM
    •NOT ALL PEOPLE ARE ETHNOCENTRIC. THERE ARE THOSE WHO USE
    WIDER PERSPECTIVES IN ASSOCIATING THEIR CULTURE FROM
    ANOTHER’S. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ACCEPT AND RESPECT THE
    EVIDENT DIFFERENCES OF MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. WHEN PEOPLE
    RECOGNIZE THAT EACH CULTURE IS NATURALLY DIFFERENT FROM
    OTHERS, THAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM. CULTURAL RELATIVISM DOES
    NOT MEAN THAT WE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY ACCEPT AND TOLERATE
    CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. INSTEAD, IT REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING THE
    CULTURE OF OTHER PEOPLE IN THEIR OWN CULTURAL CONTEXT THAT
    IS FREE FROM ANOTHER’S BIASES.
    •CULTURAL RELATIVISM IS THE IDEA THAT
    ALL NORMS, BELIEFS, AND VALUES ARE DEPENDENT
    ON THEIR CULTURAL CONTEXT, AND SHOULD BE
    TREATED AS SUCH. ACCORDING TO FRANZ BOAS
    (1887), "...CIVILIZATION IS NOT SOMETHING
    ABSOLUTE, BUT ... IS RELATIVE, AND ... OUR IDEAS
    AND CONCEPTIONS ARE TRUE ONLY SO FAR AS OUR
    CIVILIZATION GOES."
    HOW CULTURAL RELATIVISM MITIGATES
    ETHNOCENTRISM?
    • IT IS BELIEVED THAT EACH PERSON, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, POSSESSES
    AN ETHNOCENTRIC ATTITUDE OR BEHAVIOR. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH
    HAVING SUCH BECAUSE, UNLIKE SOCIAL SCIENTISTS OR ANTHROPOLOGISTS,
    NOT ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUIPPED WITH SUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE AND
    EXPOSURE TO CULTURES ACROSS THE GLOBE, THUS, THE HARDSHIP IN
    UNDERSTANDING AND TOLERATING OTHERS' ACTS AND VALUES. HOWEVER,
    WE ALSO HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT ETHNOCENTRIC BEHAVIOR, IF NOT
    CONTROLLED, MAY CAUSE TROUBLE TO ONESELF, ESPECIALLY IN THIS
    MODERN TIME WHEN EVERYONE CALLS FOR SOCIAL OR CULTURAL
    INCLUSION.
    •HISTORICALLY, COLONIALISM WAS JUSTIFIED BY
    ETHNOCENTRISM. WHEN EUROPEANS REACHED THE
    AREAS POPULATED BY THE NATIVES WHOM THEY
    CONSIDERED AS UNCIVILIZED AND SAVAGE, THEY SAW THE
    PROMISE TO CIVILIZE AND TAME THEM THROUGH RELIGION
    (CHRISTIANITY) AND COLONIALISM. DESPITE ITS
    ADVANTAGES, WE CAN SAY THAT THE AGE OF
    EXPLORATION CHANGED THE COURSE OF WORLD HISTORY
    IN A WAY WHICH DEPRIVED THE CONQUERED.
    •IT IS WIDELY BELIEVED IN THE FIELD OF SOCIOLOGY THAT
    ETHNOCENTRIC BEHAVIOR MAY BE MITIGATED THROUGH THE
    RECOGNITION AND APPLICATION OF CULTURAL RELATIVISM. A PERSON
    CAN PRACTICE CULTURAL RELATIVISM BY RECOGNIZING THAT
    CULTURE SHAPES WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE BEAUTIFUL, UGLY,
    APPEALING, DISGUSTING, VIRTUOUS, FUNNY, AND ABHORRENT, AND
    THAT THESE SHOULD NOT BE THE BASIS FOR EVALUATING OTHER
    CULTURES. CULTURAL RELATIVISM SHAPES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF
    DIFFERENT ISSUES IN THE SOCIETY−AS TO WHY CERTAIN RELIGIONS
    BELIEVE IN THIS AND OTHERS DO NOT, OR HOW COME THIS GROUP
    EATS THIS TYPE OF DISH, WEARS THIS WEIRD CLOTHING, SINGS AND
    DANCES ALONG TO MUSIC WHILE OTHERS PREFER NOT TO.
    •WHAT WE NEED IS AN OPEN HEART AND AN
    UNBIASED AND CRITICAL MIND, EXPOSURE,
    EDUCATION, AND INVOLVEMENT IN ACTIVITIES,
    AND PROGRAMS SUPPORTING AND
    RECOGNIZING THE UNIQUENESS AND BEAUTY
    OF EVERY CULTURE FOR US TO TRULY GRASP
    WHAT CULTURAL RELATIVISM MEANS.
    FO R M S OF T A NG IB LE A N D
    INTANGIBL E H E RI T A G E
    CULTURAL HERITAGE
    •CULTURAL HERITAGE IS A REPRESENTATION OF THE WAYS
    OF LIVING ESTABLISHED BY A SOCIETY OR A GROUP THAT
    IS PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.
    LEGACY IS WHAT REMAINS AFTER ONE’S TIME. HANDED
    DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER, LEGACY
    MAGNIFIES ONE’S LIFE AND LIVING. IT IS SAID THAT LEGACY
    IS WHAT CULTURAL HERITAGE IS.
    •ACCORDING TO JOHN FEATHER, CULTURAL HERITAGE IS A
    HUMAN CREATION INTENDED TO INFORM.
    CULTURAL HERITAGE
    •EXAMPLES:
    •ARCHITECTURES SUCH AS BUILDINGS, HOUSES, AND
    STRUCTURES
    •ARTIFACTS LIKE BOOKS, DOCUMENTS, OBJECTS, IMAGES,
    CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES, AND JARS
    •THINGS THAT MAKE PEOPLE WHO THEY ARE, LIKE ORAL
    STORIES, VALUES, LAWS, NORMS, RITUALS, AND
    TRADITIONS
    •CULTURAL HERITAGE HELPS HISTORIANS AND
    ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNDERSTAND AND
    DECIPHER THE WAY OF LIVING PEOPLE OF
    YESTERDAY HAD. THROUGH THESE OBJECTS,
    WE ARE PRESENTED WITH FACTS AND FIGURES
    WHICH HELP US DRAW THE LANDSCAPE OF THE
    WORLD AS IT ONCE WAS.
    TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE
    HERITAGE

    •CULTURAL HERITAGE CAN BE


    CATEGORIZED AS
    EITHER TANGIBLE OR INTANGIBLE.
    TANGIBLE
    •TANGIBLE MEANS PERCEPTIBLE, TOUCHABLE,
    CONCRETE, OR PHYSICAL. A TANGIBLE
    HERITAGE IS A PHYSICAL ARTIFACT OR OBJECT
    SIGNIFICANT TO THE ARCHAEOLOGY,
    ARCHITECTURE, SCIENCE, OR TECHNOLOGY OF
    A SPECIFIC CULTURE.
    OBJECTS THAT CAN BE STORED ARE INCLUDED IN THIS
    CATEGORY, SUCH AS:
    •TRADITIONAL CLOTHING,
    •UTENSILS (E.G. BEADWORK, WATER VESSELS),
    •VEHICLES (E.G. THE OX WAGON),
    •DOCUMENTS (E.G. CODES, LAWS, LAND TITLES, LITERATURE),
    AND
    •PUBLIC WORKS AND ARCHITECTURE BUILT AND
    CONSTRUCTED BY A CULTURAL GROUP (E.G. BUILDINGS,
    HISTORICAL PLACES, MONUMENTS, TEMPLES, GRAVES,
    ROADS, BRIDGES).
    INTANGIBLE HERITAGE
    •INTANGIBLE IS THE OPPOSITE OF TANGIBLE.
    UNLIKE TANGIBLE HERITAGE, AN INTANGIBLE
    HERITAGE IS NOT A PHYSICAL OR CONCRETE
    ITEM. INTANGIBLE HERITAGE IS THAT WHICH
    EXISTS INTELLECTUALLY IN THE CULTURE.
    INTANGIBLE HERITAGE INCLUDES:
    •SONGS,
    •MYTHS,
    •BELIEFS,
    •SUPERSTITIONS,
    •ORAL POETRY,
    •STORIES, AND
    •VARIOUS FORMS OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE SUCH AS
    ETHNOBOTANICAL KNOWLEDGE.
    THREATS TO TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE
    HERITAGE
    •THERE WAS A TIME IN CONTEMPORARY HISTORY WHEN
    MUSEUMS WERE IN CONSTANT SEARCH AND IN A HURRY
    TO LOOK FOR HISTORICAL MATERIALS TO DISPLAY. DUE
    TO THE INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR CULTURAL
    MATERIALS, OPPORTUNISTS SAW THIS AS AN AVENUE TO
    EARN MONEY. THEY INVENTED MATERIALS AND CLAIMED
    THAT THESE WERE EXCAVATED OR UNEARTHED AND
    WERE ONCE OWNED BY A CULTURAL GROUP.
    •DOCUMENTS WHOSE AUTHENTICITY ARE YET TO BE
    DETERMINED INCLUDE THE HITLER DIARIES, CRYSTAL SKULLS
    OF MESOAMERICA (TANGIBLE), AND THE STATUS OR STORY
    OF SAINT NICHOLAS' COMPANION, BLACK PETER
    (INTANGIBLE).
    •AUTHENTICITY OR TRUTHFULNESS OF ORIGIN, ATTRIBUTES,
    AND INTENTIONS OF CULTURAL HERITAGE ARE ONE OF THE
    ISSUES CONCERNING THE SOURCES OF OUR CULTURE.
    •ASIDE FROM AUTHENTICITY ISSUES, PRESERVATION, OR THE
    ACT OF MAKING A CULTURAL HERITAGE LAST AND EXIST, IS
    PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
    •PRESERVATION OR THE ACT OF MAKING A CULTURAL
    HERITAGE LAST AND EXIST SHOULD BE A TOP
    PRIORITY OF THE GOVERNMENT.
    •IN COMPARISON TO INTANGIBLE HERITAGE, TANGIBLE HERITAGE
    POSSESSES QUALITIES AND PROPERTIES WHICH MAKE IT EASIER
    TO RECOVER AND PRESERVE. DESPITE THIS, IT IS NOTEWORTHY
    THAT THEY REMAIN SUSCEPTIBLE TO PERISHING OVER TIME
    ESPECIALLY IF NOT GIVEN PROPER ATTENTION.
    PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

    •THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WORK ON IMPLEMENTING AND


    ENRICHING EXISTING NATIONAL POLICIES, PROJECTS,
    TRAINING, AND RESEARCHES PROMOTING THE
    PRESERVATION OF OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE. IT IS TRUE
    THAT INTANGIBLE HERITAGE IS HARDER TO PRESERVE, BUT
    IT SHOULD STILL BE GIVEN EQUAL ATTENTION LIKE WHAT IS
    GIVEN TO TANGIBLE HERITAGE.
    •EACH NATION SHOULD TAKE PART IN
    MAINTAINING CULTURAL IDENTITY AND
    MAKING IT A VITAL DRIVING FORCE FOR
    SOCIAL PROGRESS. THIS OBJECTIVE IS CITED
    IN THE CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF
    THE ORAL AND INTANGIBLE HERITAGE OF
    HUMANITY.
    •ACCORDING TO UNESCO, “HERITAGE IS OUR LEGACY
    FROM THE PAST, WHAT WE LIVE WITH TODAY, AND
    WHAT WE PASS ON TO FUTURE GENERATIONS. OUR
    CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE ARE BOTH
    IRREPLACEABLE SOURCES OF LIFE AND INSPIRATION.”
    INDEED, WHATEVER WE HAD YESTERDAY IS OUR
    PRESENT, AND WHATEVER WE MAKE OUT OF IT WILL
    BE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FUTURE. WE BETTER
    ENSURE THAT IT IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF.

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