Ethnocentrism
Rania Nasr Alsabbagh 31313
Dr. Jack Marsh
Education 100
23 December, 2013
Diversity and Discrimination On this earth, there are billions of people and we are separated by borders, oceans and vast masses of land. We are placed into groups based on our nationality, religion, race, class and even age but at the end of the day we are very much alike. Humans are all the same before birth and again the same after birth. What distinguishes us from each other are our qualities both internal and external ones. These differences among us lead to diversity and if not mistreated can bring about benefits to an individual such as better critical thinking and a broader perspective of the world. Nonetheless, this diversity can lead to discrimination, stereotype and even phobias. One of these discriminatory behaviors is ethnocentrism. Our world has many cultures each with its own unique practices and beliefs and when a person fails to recognize these practices as normal, they are being ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism is when a person views the world from the perspective of their own culture hence anything that is not practiced in their own group is abnormal to them. These individuals are viewing other cultures in an etic way and are being superior, instead they must view other cultures from that group's perspective. An example of cultural practice that would never be understood unless viewed from an insider's perspective are the marriage forms in Nuer, Sudan. This part of the world is patrilineal and so descent is carried down the father's side of the family. As a result of this, ghost marriages for example have been established to ensure the continuing of the father's lineage. In ghost marriages, a male 'ghost marries' a women to his dead relative and the children are that of the deceased man. This way the newborns will continue to carry the dead man's lineage. In Nuer, there are also women to women marriages to continue male lineages. In this form of marriage, an elder
Dr. Jack Marsh
Education 100
23 December, 2013
Diversity and Discrimination On this earth, there are billions of people and we are separated by borders, oceans and vast masses of land. We are placed into groups based on our nationality, religion, race, class and even age but at the end of the day we are very much alike. Humans are all the same before birth and again the same after birth. What distinguishes us from each other are our qualities both internal and external ones. These differences among us lead to diversity and if not mistreated can bring about benefits to an individual such as better critical thinking and a broader perspective of the world. Nonetheless, this diversity can lead to discrimination, stereotype and even phobias. One of these discriminatory behaviors is ethnocentrism. Our world has many cultures each with its own unique practices and beliefs and when a person fails to recognize these practices as normal, they are being ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism is when a person views the world from the perspective of their own culture hence anything that is not practiced in their own group is abnormal to them. These individuals are viewing other cultures in an etic way and are being superior, instead they must view other cultures from that group's perspective. An example of cultural practice that would never be understood unless viewed from an insider's perspective are the marriage forms in Nuer, Sudan. This part of the world is patrilineal and so descent is carried down the father's side of the family. As a result of this, ghost marriages for example have been established to ensure the continuing of the father's lineage. In ghost marriages, a male 'ghost marries' a women to his dead relative and the children are that of the deceased man. This way the newborns will continue to carry the dead man's lineage. In Nuer, there are also women to women marriages to continue male lineages. In this form of marriage, an elder