Ethnocentrism

Erin Alkire

Samantha Garton

Matthew Leonard

Leland Wood

Ethnocentrism

The term was coined by American Yale professor, William Graham Sumner

Sumner defined ethnocentrism as:

What is Ethnocentrism?

"[The] view of things in which one´s group is the center of everything, and others are scaled and rated with reference to it. Each group nourishes its own pride and vanity, boasts itself superior, exalts its own divinities and looks with contempt on outsiders."

Ethnocentrism is a very “Anything you can do, we can do it better” point of view concerning ethnicity.

An individual with an ethnocentric view: Identifies strongly with in-group ethnicity, culture, etc.Feels proud, vain, superior about in-groupViews economic, political, social events from the point of

their in-groupDefines their culture elements as ‘correct’ & ‘natural’Thinks in-group norms are universal

Rejects out-group ethnicities, cultures, etc.Feels like other ethnicities & cultures are inferiorXenophobia: a fear or hatred of persons of a different

race, or different ethnic or national originDefines other culture’s elements as ‘incorrect’ &

‘unnatural’

Characteristics of Ethnocentrism

An Ethnocentrism Video

American Exceptionalism: perception that US differs from other developed nations because of its unique origins, national credo, historical evolution, & distinctive political & religious institutions; belief that US is hope for humanity; moral superiority

Eurocentrism: emphasis on European culture & western world at the expense of other cultures; other cultures are inferior or even denied their existence as truly human

Types of Ethnocentrism

Indian Nationalism: political & cultural expression of patriotism by citizens of India; pride in the history/ heritage of India & visions for its future

Japanocentrism: belief that Japan is, or should be, at the center of the world culturally, economically, & politically

Sinocentrism: any ethnocentric perspective that regards China to be central or unique relative to other countries

Types of Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism occurs frequently here at homeExamples:Capitalism vs. Communism: for years, the US

has fought to end communism because they believe capitalism trumps all

Driving: Ethnocentric Americans say that driving on the left side of the road is the ‘wrong side’ & that the right side is the ‘correct side’

American Ethnocentrism

More examples:Accents: Ethnocentric Americans may say

that another person has an accent, implying that the other person speaks different, strange, & un-American

Legal Age of Alcohol Consumption: the US has a higher drinking age of most other countries & does not emulate other countries by lowering the legal age because they think it is the best age for a person to be able to start consuming alcohol

American Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentric views lead to stereotypingStereotype: generalizations about a group of

people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group; can be positive or negative

Ethnocentric Stereotypes

Extreme examples:Americans are obese & uneducatedCanadians say ‘eh’Rich people are snobby & members of

country clubsAsians are geniuses & bad driversEnglish people drink tea & have bad teethWomen are bad drivers & emotionalMen are strong & smarter than women

Ethnocentric Stereotypes

Ethnocentric Stereotypes

Ethnocentric Stereotype Video

Ethnocentrism leads to issues in the workplace & schools when it concerns language The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

received 228 complaints out of about 9,000 claims of national origin discrimination, observers say that many more workers who feel silenced don't take action for fear of losing their jobs

A case settled recently for $1.5 million- Hispanic housekeepers at a casino were not allowed to speak Spanish, janitor repeated that he had to hide in a closet to train new employees who understood only Spanish, others were told of harassment by supervisors who called them "wetbacks," accused them of stealing and fired them for objecting to the English policy

Effects of Ethnocentrism

R.D's Drive-In in Page Ariz were the boss restricted native Navajo. nearly 90% of the restaurant's employees are Navajo but the owner's family was not. Joe Becker speaking on behalf of the owner said there were complaints from customers and staff about rude comments being made in Navajo

Native American people sent to boarding schools and told not to speak their language they were trying to make Christians out of them

Effects of Ethnocentrism

The End

“Anything You Can Do” by Bernadette Peters & Tom Wopat

“Stereotypes Song” by Your Favorite Martian

Music

Axelrod, Robert, and Ross A. Hammond. "The Evolution of Ethnocentric Behavior." Midwest Political Science Convention 1 (2003): n. pag. Ethno. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.

"Cartoon“ Ethnocentrism 101 « Tinted Lens: Musings on culture and beyond." Tinted Lens: Musings on culture and beyond. N.p., 26 Feb. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://interculturaljournal.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/cartoon-ethnocentrism-101/>.

"Ethnocentrism - New World Encyclopedia." Info:Main Page - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ethnocentrism>.

Rudolf, Sinkovics, and Holzmüller Hartmut. "ETHNOCENTRISM - A KEY DETERMINANT IN INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE STRATEGY FORMULATION?." EIBA International Conference 1 (1994): n. pag. Ethnocentrism. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.

"S/T/U/V/W/X/Y/Z, Legal dictionary court info,Sequestration, Servient tenement, Statutory declaration, Tenancy in common." bailiff sheriff australia court info. Bailiff.com, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bailiff.com.au/Legaldictionary/S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z-legaldictionary.asp>.

Works Cited