Ethnocentrism

In the context of global studies, ethnocentrism is practiced at many different levels: local communities, states, nations, and international (or global) contexts. Ethnocentrism is a preference for one's own group, and ethnocentric beliefs are typically expressed as a feeling of superiority over others. It is manifested through a belief that one's own culture, values, and beliefs are superior to other cultures, values, and beliefs. While the term ethnocentrism may seem to relate only to ethnicity, the term is regularly used to describe preferential beliefs and attitudes (as well as discriminatory behaviors) of racial and national groups, not simply those groups commonly understood to be defined as ethnic. Examples of these various levels of ethnocentrism include Western ethnocentrism, White ethnocentrism, and American ethnocentrism, among others.

Western ethnocentrism was used to justify European conquests across the world in the era of colonialism. European explorers traveled to distant lands and found groups of people different from themselves. Rather than just view these other groups as different, many Europeans instead saw other cultures in these lands as inferior to their own Western culture. Native peoples were often labeled as savages or barbarians. In an attempt to make sense of these new groups, it was common for Europeans to believe that the cultures and practices of these peoples were primitive compared to the modern, enlightened cultures and practices of the Western world, of which they were a part. This ethnocentric view was then used as a rationalization to explain the need for European imperialism and domination throughout the colonies. From the perspective of Western ethnocentrism, the superiority of Western culture necessitated the conquest of these other lands in an attempt to “civilize” the groups they found, given the ethnocentric assumption of the inferiority of these new cultures and ways of life when compared to European culture.

White ethnocentrism occurs when groups of Whites believe their own culture, values, and beliefs are superior to those of other racial groups. This often is displayed through racism, prejudice, and discrimination toward people of color. White ethnocentrism can also provide an ideological defense against racial inequality. In societies where Whites are in a dominant position, racial disparities may be explained through assumed cultural or moral deficiencies of subordinate racial groups, rather than seeing structural inequalities that may explain enduring racial inequality. White ethno-centrism allows Whites to assume they are in a position of cultural superiority compared to others, providing a type of circular logic to explain the racial hierarchy in racialized societies.

American ethnocentrism can be observed in recent immigration debates within the United States. Within these debates, some Americans are critical of new immigrants who come to the United States with their own cultures and practices and do not readily assimilate into “American” ways of life. This may [Page 525]include immigrants who choose to wear veils, speak their native languages, or observe other cultural traditions not commonly viewed as American. These criticisms of recent immigrants are problematic for the United States, a “nation of immigrants,” given the central role immigrants have played throughout U.S. history. Nonetheless, American ethnocentrism exists by providing support for the idea that a common set of “American” cultural practices is more American and, therefore, inherently superior when compared to the cultural practices of the recent immigrants in question. Americans who display these views are showing their ethnocentric biases, in that they are judging immigrants by their own cultural standards rather than trying to understand immigrants' actions and behaviors from the standpoint of the culture of the immigrant groups themselves. As mentioned previously, not only is there a lack of understanding but there is often an assumption of cultural (and even moral) superiority compared to these immigrant groups.

...