Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism's Roots

Historically, ethnocentrism was associated with European expansion and colonization across the globe, and was often conflated with racism. Within the context of White European ethnocentrism, culturally based biases were often assumed to be grounded within the laws of nature or seen as supported by biologic or other scientific fact. For example, early Europeans conceptualized non-Europeans as natural slaves who were innately savage, imperfect, and subservient. Over time, this concept underwent a theological modification that conceptualized non-Europeans as natural children who could be uplifted from savagery through Christianity. After the introduction of Darwinian theory, European proponents of scientific racism used questionable quantitative data on intelligence (such as cranial capacity) to establish the natural superiority of White European males over their female counterparts and over all peoples of color. These attitudes were used to justify the enslavement of subjugated peoples as well as to establish institutional barriers to sharing sociopolitical power with designated out-groups. Although the emergence of ethnic identity and ethnocentric bias has historically taken the form of Eurocentrism, in the late 20th century the political mobilization of groups such as African diaspora and Hispanic populations has resulted in the growth of, for example, Afrocentrism and the Chicano movement.

Power Relationships

Social status and power relationships are continuously negotiated within every culture; however, those who hold more authority are able to maximize their status and advance a particular agenda. For example, by naturalizing socioeconomic and status differences and devaluing the cultural systems of the out-group, the in-group creates an environment that fosters individual and institutionalized prejudice against the outgroup. Therefore, ethnocentrism is closely linked to differential social power, wherein the more dominant group can systematically inhibit, exclude, or deny access to privileges, resources, and opportunities to subordinate groups when competition for strategic interests ensues. Conflicts over scarce resources, such as arable land, potable water, or access to political or economic power, are often framed within ethnocentric terms as competition increases and hostilities escalate.

Ethnic Cleansing

Two of the most infamous ethnic conflicts of the 20th century took place in Rwanda in 1994 and Bosnia-Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. In the Bosnian conflict, political leaders exploited religious, cultural, and linguistic differences to rally in-group support among Orthodox Christian Serbs and to divide them against Catholic Christian Croats and Serbo-Croat-speaking Muslims. In January 1992, Bosnian Muslims and Croats voted to seek recognition of the country's independence by the European Community (EC). At the request of the EC, a second vote confirmed that Muslims and Croats overwhelmingly [Page 205]favored independence. The Serbian population boycotted the referendum, and clashes over independence led to ethnic violence in several Bosnian cities. In April, the EC recognized Bosnia-Herzegovina's independence, and in May, the country became a member of the United Nations, which only increased ethnic conflicts among the Serbs, Croats, and Muslims.

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