Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is broadly defined as an interpretive framework based on the perception that one's own ethnic or cultural group (in-group) is superior to other groups (out-groups). The concept of ethnocentrism was developed by sociologist W. G. Sumner in 1906 and expanded by Theodor Adorno et al. in 1950. Ethnocentrism is often linked to cultural bias, which is defined as judging behaviors and beliefs in terms of what is normative and appropriate to one's own culture. Although ethnocentrism and cultural bias can involve positive stereotyping, these concepts are more often used to frame outsiders as biologically or morally inferior. This entry includes a brief discussion of the sociopolitical roots of ethnocentrism within the context of European colonialist expansion; power relations and genocidal cleansing within sociopolitical contexts; ...