2 - Etnocentrism and Cultural Relativism 1-14-13 PDF

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1/14/13

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism _____________________________________________________________ What is Ethnocentrism?  Seeing your own culture as the center of the universe  Your own cultural practices are normal, right, and better than other ways  It is a normal part of growing up in a culture -- it is unavoidable  It can limit an anthropologist’s open-mindedness What are people ethnocentric about?  Food  Family  Marriage  Religion How to Avoid Ethnocentrism  It is important to practice Cultural Relativism -- to be openminded, and try to see and appreciate a culture in its own terms  Don’t judge it by your own values Ethical Relativism  Not the same thing as cultural relativism  Anthropologists should strive for open-mindedness and cultural relativism, but that does not make all cultural practices rights  Some things are ethically wrong: child abuse, murder, slavery, genocide The Need for Universal Human Rights  After the Holocaust in WWII, people began to create universal standards of human rights So What’s an Anthropologist to do?  Be self-aware. Know your own biases and “trigger points”  Try to be open-minded and appreciate other cultures

 Be ethical and value human rights Body Modification  Ex: hair cut, piercings, tattoos, implants liposuction, bodybuilding, botox, scarring, makeup, branding, disease (pathological)...