Culture and Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism
By
Richanda L. Brown
SSCI210-1204A-06
AIU
8-30-2012
Abstract
This paper will evaluate the movie The Stoning of Soraya M. and discuss the effect of ethnocentrism on individuals, societies, and multinational corporations. This paper will provide a comprehensive overview of ethnocentrism and focus on the cultural observations made based on cultural experience.
Ethnocentrism
Introduction
Our text defines ethnocentrism as the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture. (Macionis, 2012). This means that sometimes the way we view certain practices and beliefs of other cultures is determined by what we are accustomed to in our own cultures. The result of ethnocentrism is assuming the practices of other cultures to be inferior to our own.
Overview of Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is a part of all humans and is inevitable since it revolves around culture, which is “the basis for each person’s reality.” (Macionis, 2012). The downside of that is that is forces us to put our own culture at the center of everything and look down on anything that is done differently than what we know. If we take the movie, The Stoning of Soraya M. and relate it to the concept of ethnocentrism we will see many examples of the way the practices and beliefs in Iran impact American views of that culture.
Analysis of the movie The movie, The Stoning of Soraya M. was set in the country of Iran. The movie tells the story of a woman that was falsely accused of infidelity and sentenced to death by stoning. The story is told to a journalist by the woman’s aunt in hopes to shed some light on the circumstances of her death. (Nowrasteh, 2009). The first thing that set off an alarm in my mind when watching this film is that, although the woman was completely innocent, I could not believe that death was the punishment for infidelity. This form of punishment seemed harsh to me as I am not familiar with Iranian culture. In the U.S., it
By
Richanda L. Brown
SSCI210-1204A-06
AIU
8-30-2012
Abstract
This paper will evaluate the movie The Stoning of Soraya M. and discuss the effect of ethnocentrism on individuals, societies, and multinational corporations. This paper will provide a comprehensive overview of ethnocentrism and focus on the cultural observations made based on cultural experience.
Ethnocentrism
Introduction
Our text defines ethnocentrism as the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture. (Macionis, 2012). This means that sometimes the way we view certain practices and beliefs of other cultures is determined by what we are accustomed to in our own cultures. The result of ethnocentrism is assuming the practices of other cultures to be inferior to our own.
Overview of Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is a part of all humans and is inevitable since it revolves around culture, which is “the basis for each person’s reality.” (Macionis, 2012). The downside of that is that is forces us to put our own culture at the center of everything and look down on anything that is done differently than what we know. If we take the movie, The Stoning of Soraya M. and relate it to the concept of ethnocentrism we will see many examples of the way the practices and beliefs in Iran impact American views of that culture.
Analysis of the movie The movie, The Stoning of Soraya M. was set in the country of Iran. The movie tells the story of a woman that was falsely accused of infidelity and sentenced to death by stoning. The story is told to a journalist by the woman’s aunt in hopes to shed some light on the circumstances of her death. (Nowrasteh, 2009). The first thing that set off an alarm in my mind when watching this film is that, although the woman was completely innocent, I could not believe that death was the punishment for infidelity. This form of punishment seemed harsh to me as I am not familiar with Iranian culture. In the U.S., it
References: Macionis, J. (2012). Sociology (14th ed). [Online Version]. Retrieved from AIU Online Virtual Campus. Sociology: SSCI210-1204A:06 website. Nowrasteh, Cyrus (Director) and Nowrasteh, Betsy (Writer). (2009). The Stoning of Soraya M. [Motion Picture]. United States: Mpower Pictures.