He ethnocentrism It is the act of judging a culture other than one’s own based on the values and standards of the one in which the person is immersed. It refers above all to the valuation of phenomena such as language, customs, behaviors, beliefs and religion of a group of people other than one’s own.
When thinking ethnocentrically, people are comparing what makes their culture unique to the most important elements in other societies. Often, the value judgments that arise from ethnocentrism generate conflicts and misunderstandings between different groups; although if this phenomenon is understood, it is possible to avoid these problems to a great extent.
The term was defined in its modern form by the American sociologist William G. Sumner, who first applied it to the field of social sciences. This author described it as “the way of looking at the world in which the group itself is the center of everything, in such a way that the rest of the people and cultures rate themselves using it as a reference”.
According to Sumner, ethnocentrism generally causes emotional states such as pride and vanity. In addition, people who habitually reason in this way believe that their group is superior to the rest, and they tend to show contempt towards those who do not belong to it. This phenomenon, if not controlled, can end up causing the appearance of prejudices and racist behavior.
Over time, the concept of ethnocentrism was developed by other authors, sociologists, and social theorists. For example, some thinkers from the Frankfurt School established ethnocentrism as any type of thought that differentiates between one’s own group and people outside it. Generally, this last definition is the one used today.
Ethnocentrism: Origin and History
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Although William G. Sumner is generally considered the creator of the term, the truth is that the first to use it was the Austrian sociologist Ludwig Gumplowicz, in the 19th century. This author considered that ethnocentrism was a phenomenon similar to other ideas such as geocentrism or anthropocentrism, which is why he thought it was an illusion.
According to Gumplowicz, ethnocentrism is the set of reasons why a group of people believes that it is at the highest point in comparison not only with the rest of the cultures and nations that exist today in the world, but also in relation to all those that existed in the past.
Later, already in the 20th century, the sociologist William G. Sumner proposed two different definitions for the concept of ethnocentrism, which are basically the same ones used today. The first, as we have already seen, refers to the way of looking at the world by which other cultures examine themselves through the filter of their own.
Sumner’s other definition was a bit different. In it, he described ethnocentrism as a feeling of cohesion and dedication to one’s own group, which causes a feeling of superiority towards anyone who belongs to another group. It should be noted that in this case the author was also speaking at the level of cultures, and not of smaller groups.
From the formal definition of the term, the concept of ethnocentrism has been used to postulate and reinforce different theories, especially in fields such as sociology or psychology.
In addition, studies in fields such as social psychology have confirmed the existence of a large part of the mental mechanisms that are supposedly attributed to this way of thinking.
Characteristics of Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is a complex phenomenon, encompassing a whole series of clearly differentiated beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Next we will see some of its most important characteristics.
Judgment of other cultures based on one’s own
The main characteristic of ethnocentrism is the use of one’s own habits, cultural factors, ways of thinking or beliefs as a filter to judge whether those of other people are valid or not. The more similar a society is to the one in which one has developed, the more favorably it will be judged.
Thus, for example, an individual affected by ethnocentrism will think that the religion practiced in his country will be the only valid one, and will only accept to a greater or lesser extent those that are very similar to his own. The same will be true of other aspects of his culture, such as his attitudes toward relationships or sex, his artistic expressions, or his beliefs about life.
In this way, when ethnocentrism occurs, culture itself becomes the measuring stick on the basis of which all other groups on the planet are judged. This attitude does not take into account the great diversity that exists in the world in terms of societies and their ways of thinking and acting.
Establishment of a Hierarchy
A side effect of using one’s own culture as a reference to value others is the creation of a hierarchy. For ethnocentric people, the society they live in is superior to all others (and in many cases, the best that has ever existed in all of history).
The rest of the existing cultures in the world will be better or worse depending on how much they resemble the one of origin of the ethnocentric individual. Thus, someone from the United States would consider his society the best in the world, closely followed by those in Europe, and with all the others far behind them.
Emergence of biases, prejudices and racism
Although it is not something that always has to happen, in most cases where ethnocentrism exists, it comes hand in hand with other negative phenomena, such as the existence of biases and prejudices about other cultures. In addition, on many occasions this way of thinking also ends up causing racism.
When a person has an ethnocentric thought, he judges the other cultures of the world based on his own preconceived ideas, instead of analyzing them in a rational and impartial way. In this way, he generally applies a large number of stereotypes and believes he has the right to put others down just based on their place of origin.
This phenomenon would occur, for example, in the case of a European tourist who travels to an Asian or African country and feels disgusted by the customs of its inhabitants. Upon returning home, he would tell those close to him how inferior the natives of the lands he has visited were, as their customs were strange and very different from his own.
Types of Ethnocentrism
According to some authors, it is possible to find different types of ethnocentrism depending on the beliefs caused by it. The most important are the following:
– Xenocentrism or reverse ethnocentrism. This is the idea that one’s own culture is less valid than the rest, and therefore can be detrimental to a person’s life.
– Racial ethnocentrism. Belief that people belonging to one’s own culture are superior to the rest because of race.
– Linguistic ethnocentrism. The thought that the language belonging to one’s own culture is superior in some aspects to those of other peoples. For example, it may be believed that it is more subtle, or that it serves to express more complex ideas.
– Religious ethnocentrism. Belief that one’s own religion is the only valid and true one, with those who profess another faith being ignorant or uneducated.
Examples of Ethnocentrism
Throughout history, many cultures have emerged in the world that claimed to be superior to the rest. Today, this phenomenon continues to exist, and it takes many different forms. In this section we will see some of the most important types of ethnocentrism today.
American Exceptionalism
American exceptionalism is a form of ethnocentrism whose followers argue that the United States and its culture are unique and more advanced than other countries in the world. Those who subscribe to this way of thinking believe that, due to its origin, the ideals on which it was based, and its history, this country in the Americas would be completely different from (and superior to) all others.
For American exceptionalists, the United States was the first country founded on ideas such as equality and liberty. In this way, the territory would have transcended the values of Europe, thus having surpassed the continent on which it originally depended. Today, this type of ethnocentrism is still widespread.
Eurocentrism
Eurocentrism is the belief that Western culture, with all its advances and its way of understanding life, is superior to all others that have existed throughout history and that can be found today.
It had its origin in the time of the colonizations, when the European conquerors realized that the rest of the societies were mainly farmers and ranchers.
People with a Eurocentric point of view believe that Western culture is responsible for moving the world forward. Many times, the greatest number of achievements in Europe and the rest of Western countries is associated with ethnicity, although this type of racism is not always associated with Eurocentrism.
Read also: What is Apartheid
Indian Nationalism
Indian nationalism is a type of ethnocentrism that defends that India is the most advanced country in the world, in aspects such as spiritual or cultural. People with this point of view believe that the culture of this Asian country is the one that has most influenced the development of all the others.
Some of the evidence defended by Indian nationalists are, for example, that the culture of this country is the oldest recorded at a historical level; or that Hinduism, the oldest religion still practiced today, originated in India.
Japanocentrism
Japanocentrism is a set of beliefs of which the most important is that Japan is, or should be, the center of the world. This manifests itself in different attitudes, both on a small scale (such as with the marginalization of foreigners within the Asian country) and internationally.
Japanese culture is especially concerned with the distinction between the natives of the country and foreigners. Their language is one of the ones with the most different words to refer to those who are from abroad. In addition, the idea that Japan should have a central role in international politics is still very much in force among the country’s inhabitants.
Sinocentrism
Sinocentrism is a type of ethnocentrism that considers China to be the most important and advanced country in the world, with all the others far behind it. In pre-modern times, this belief was embodied in the idea that China was the only true civilization in the world, all other cultures being considered «barbarian».
In modern times, Sinocentrism has moderated quite a bit; but the inhabitants of the Asian country still consider China to be the most important and advanced country in the world.
In political terms, the majority of the leaders of the territory believe that their state should have much more relevance at the international level.