Home > Ethnocentrism

In the modern world, however, the crossing of the lines between cultures, that at one time happened only occasionally, has become an everyday occurrence. Technological advances in communication have progressively overcome previous obstacles to communication - physical obstacles that once helped to keep ethnic distinctions distinct. Ethnic lines still exist, and co-exist, and cultures of the world often find that their central concern, that of maintaining an identity despite rapid transculturation, is still possible.

The reasons for maintaining an ethnicity are often personal, and relate to the cohesion of familiar personal and social elements - in other words, attachment or accustoment. We all are born into a human culture, and it is the culture that shapes our self-awareness and understanding of other individuals. It also reflects, depending on the cultural teaching, customs or patterns of behaviour in relating to other cultures. This behaviour can range from universal acceptance or feelings of inferiority compared with other cultures, to racism, which many consider an aspect of xenophobia.

Some examples of ethnocentric behaviours are represented by such social phenomena as economic isolationism, counter-cultures, anti-establishmentism, and widespread social patterns of interpersonal abusive behaviours as ostracization, prejudice, and discrimination.

1 Examples of Ethnocentrism

• Afrocentrism
• Americentrism
• Anglocentrism
• Germanocentrism
• Judeocentrism
• Eurocentrism

2 Related articles:

• Cultural bias
• Cultural diversity
• Cultural imperialism
• Ethnic nationalismEthnic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives political legitimacy from historical cultural or hereditary groupings ( ethnicities); the underlying assumption is that ethnicities should be politically distinct. This was developed
• NationalismNationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. Nationalists base nations on various notions of political legitimacy. These can derive from the Romantic theory of " cultural identity",
• PatriotismPatriotism is a feeling of love and devotion to one's own homeland patria the land of one's fathers). This article surveys the concept of patriotism from the viewpoints of history, politics, ethics, and biology. Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, 1814 Patriotic
• Racism
• SociologySociology is the study of social rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions. A typical textbook definition of sociology calls it the study of the social lives of huma