Anthropology Terms: Henry
Henry Quillin
Mr. Roddy
IHSS
5-9-2019
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the belief that your culture is dominant to all other cultures or societies. Ethnocentrism is the cause of many problems and can be blamed for many wars, oppression and slavery. Believe it or not, most societies are ethnocentric. It is actually normal for people to feel like their culture is better or superior to other cultures, however, sometimes people can become too ethnocentric. Unfortunately, there are many examples of this throughout history, like Nazi Germany, slavery in America, discrimation against Native Americans, and many other instances of ethnocentrism.
Enculturation
Enculturation is the process of adapting to a certain culture by learning the norms, language, and values of that culture. Enculturation can sometimes be confused with acculturation. Acculturation is where a culture is changed because another culture is merging with it, and their values and customs are assimilated, usually to the more dominant culture. Enculturation is similar, but it refers to an individual's own culture. For example, someone moving from China to the United States might experience enculturation, and they might change their clothing and appearance, as well as their norms and even values. We all have experienced enculturation in some way. When we are babies, we learn how to talk, and as we grow up, we form our personal culture based on what is all around us.
Your references to Ethnocentrism are a very good representation for the topic. 👍🏻
ReplyDeleteThank you very much
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