Etnocentrismo

Ethnocentrism

It’s a social phenomenon. Was originated from the study of behaviors and forms of relation between groups. Is one of the main reasons for the racial divisions between members of different ethnic and religious groups in the society. Ethnocentrism occurs everywhere and every day both at the local level as a politician.The term, appeared for the first time in 1906 of the hand of William G. Summer in his work "Folksways" (Customs).

Definition:Is the attitude of a group that consider that it has a central position with respect to other groups, valuing more positively their own achievements and particularities to the different. It is the belief of the superiority of a personal ethnic group, but also, it can be developed by racial or religious differences.

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism, is the act of viewing and analyzing the world according to the parameters of its own culture.

Attributing to them a net superiority over the others.

It is the action of observing and analyzing other cultures according to the characteristics which has our culture, is also considered that our culture is superior to others in different ways: ethnic, language, customs, behavior and religion. These elements create the cultural identity.You can see ethnocentrism, in various historical points:a) The Spanish, when came to America watched the Indians like animals without culture. b) Hitler wanted to create a perfect race.c) When France colonize Algeria and so on.

Ethnocentrism divided as it comes accompanied by discrimination, prejudices xenophobia.

Ethnocentrism

I m p e r i a l i s m , M e s i a n i s m , R a c i s m a n d D i s c r i m i n a ti o n

Two approaches of ethnocentrism

a) The positive approach of ethnocentrism: that helps you maintaining social cohesion and loyalty to the principles in the group. Ethnocentrism is a pattern of reference to preserve the culture, solidarity, loyalty, cooperation, defense and survival of the group.

b) The negative vision: emphasizes as radical ethnocentrism may lead to attitudes and phenomena such as the violent nationalism and racism. Racism has traditionally been defined as a "process of marginalize, exclude and discriminate against those as defined on the basis of a color or ethnicity group“.

Ethnocentrism

For other authors, ethnocentrism, international migration, and xenophobia may be two sides of the same coin. The ethnocentrism is an attitude that sees the world and the others through the prism of the own ethnicity and culture. Is the inability to look at the world through the eyes of others.

Ethnocentrism

Some conceptsa) From the anthropology of Lévi-Strauss: presents ethnocentrism as natural and inherent to the species human, resulting the "desire of each culture to resist the cultures that surround it, distinguish itself from them. Order not to perish against other cultures should somehow remain waterproof“.b) From the view point of the evolutionary psychology: ethnocentrism is defined as favoritism to the group itself and the indifference or hostility toward other groups, and is considered to be one of the mechanisms that exist in all cultures and explain human behavior from an evolutionary perspective.

Ethnocentrism

Some examplesa) European Imperialism:Imperialism is the practice of taking other lands, which was practiced throughout Europe from the 16th century. The colonies in the United States were one of the regions that the Europeans tried to control from abroad. They also seized land in Africa. Traces of this type of European ethnocentrism is still evident today.Ej: England and the Falkland Island (1833,1982). The war of The Falklands (The final balance of the war in human lives was 649 Argentine soldiers and 255 British and 3 civilian Islanders).[1]For example, in the schools of Europe, world studies courses, tend to focus almost exclusively on the history of the United States and Europe, ignoring other parts of the world.

Ethnocentrism

[1] http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerra_de_las_Malvinas

b) The mandate of Heaven:The idea of the "mandate of heaven" proliferated by the Chinese philosopher Confucias. The "mandate of heaven" means that the Chinese felt that they had received to be able to divine which gives right to exercise the rule heavy on citizens, and had power over the rest of the world. In fact, the emperor was referred to as the "son of heaven", exemplifying the intense control that had over the people.While this system of Government formally ended in the 19th century, some scholars believe that Chinese ethnocentrism lives.

Ethnocentrism

c) The nazi germanyOne of the best-known and most horrific examples of ethnocentrism that ever occurred in history, was during Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler decided that he hated the Jews, as well as some other groups of people. Many innocent people were killed in the concentration camps.The Jews never deserved the torture they received, and this was clearly an extreme case of ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism

1. American policyThe United States shown as a more powerful, higher nation

economically and in general "better" than other Nations. This has been demonstrated by the tendency to venture into the situations that occur in other Nations, such as the current participation in the Middle East affairs. Although the idea that all citizens of the United States are belonging to the same ethnic group is debatable since the country has citizens from all the world. Even so, in this case, the sense of national pride can stand in a sense that the Americans are "a pure American breed“.

Ethnocentrism

E t h n o c e n t r i s m i n U S A

2. Messianic Imperialism

The book, titled “United States: intervention and messianic power. The cold war in Guatemala”, wrote in 1954. It is a look from interdisciplinary to the foreign policy of the United States to Latin America during the Cold War. The author explores the historical and cultural roots of American Foreign Policy and the history of relations between the United States and Latin America, to subsequently explore the particular case of intervention in Guatemala whose purpose was to overthrow the Government of Jacobo Árbenz.

Ethnocentrism

Based on the concept of supremacy, explains the way in which United States exerted their power in L. America since the 19th century was its national ideology that consists of elements such as expansionism, Americanism, Protestantism, a feeling of superiority and a spiritual pride of being the chosen people to protect from evil to the rest of the world. American foreign policy towards Latin America during the years 1950s and 1960s was based on three ideas: a) Americanism, b) exceptionalism and c) interventionism.

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism

The goal was to protect their identity, their safety and their area of domination against the Soviet threat. Since its origins the American perception that Latin America was less in terms of race, culture, morality, and politics was present.

The negative response from the United States before the revolutions could be natural, because the latter are seen as a threat to its national security and not as part of an internal process.

The Big Stick or "Big stick" policy is authored by the twenty-sixth President of Estados Unidos Theodoro Roosevelt (1858-1909). It is a system that has governed the hegemonic policy of United States on Latin America, the arm of the Monroe doctrine, "America for the Americans", which today we call finally Americans since the beginning of the 20th century

Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism

ConclutionEthnocentrism is a powerful force that can destroy the human

relations. Despite the cultural differences, we are human. There is no intrinsic difference between a Jew and a Christian, a black and a white, a Chinese citizen and a German citizen, etc. Perhaps, everyone can take a lesson from it to avoid unfair prejudice resulting from ethnocentrism. Saint Paul told to the Galatians that now:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in

Christ Jesus (Gálatians 3:28 Reina-Valera 1960)