Allen Mr.Savastano Pre-IB English III 29 April 2010 During the Common Era the eastern world managed to portray huge amounts of Ethnocentrism which operated internally on the minds of conquered societies as well as cultures. The eastern perception on the way of life degraded other traditions in order to uplift the status of their own beliefs. The correlation of Ethnocentrism led to the encouragement of Nationalism demonstrating the characterization of hubris. In the text Things Fall Apart‚ Chinua Achebe
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the wrong side of the road‚ and other countries may feel the same way about their culture as those Yankees feel about their USA. What do we call the sense of cultural superiority? Sociology has a term called ethnocentrism‚ which is defined as “the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one ’s own culture” (about sociology). Many claim that ethnocentrism occurs in every society. The opposite of ethnocentrism is multiculturalism‚ which is the belief that all cultures are basically
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Fatih Elmali Body Ritual and Witchcraft Many native males and females from a highly developed culture in Nacirema engage in a body ritual almost daily‚ which involves from leaving their homes at various times in the morning or afternoon and engaging in activities that strain the body as well as the mind. This ritual usually encompasses males and females of ages 18 and older. In this strange place‚ the ritual is a requirement to keep their bodies as well as their families’ bodies functioning
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Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary clearly defines ethnocentrism as the “characterization by or based on the attitude that one’s own group is superior.” To address the deeper issues associated to ethnocentrism requires a more explicit definition. In this sense‚ ethnocentrism can be defined as the making of false assumptions regarding others’ ways based on our own limited experience. The key word is assumptions‚ because oftentimes we are not even aware that we are being ethnocentric -- we don’t understand
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In the everyday life of the perceived “normal” individual‚ rituals and rites performed by individuals as part of a different culture might seem harsh‚ cruel or even barbaric. After my first read of "Body Ritual among the Nacirema"‚ that is how I perceived their daily way of life. They believe in magic potions‚ seeking pain from the “holy – mouth – men” a couple of times a year‚ and the men and women perform acts that seem to contradict one another by trying to obtain abnormal body shapes‚ and then
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The original use of the term was in Body Ritual Among the Nacirema‚ which satirizes anthropological papers on "other" cultures‚ and the culture of the United States. Horace Miner wrote the paper and originally published it in the June 1956 edition of American Anthropologist. In the paper‚ Miner describes the Nacirema‚ a little-known tribe living in North America. The way in which he writes about the curious practices that this group performs distances readers from the fact that the North American
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Many of the practices Miner mentions in the article aren’t really strange to the Nacirema culture. But an outsider views the practices as odd. For example‚ Miner mentions about a shrine box‚ which translate to a medicine cabinet being strange to the outsider. The charms and magical potions in the shrine box being the medicine needed cure the ills and maladies of an individual. Medicine had a purpose of curing those maladies for many with similar ills. But the outsider views pulling out these magical
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Comparing the Nacirema culture to what I know to be considered "normal" from living in the United States my entire life gives you a whole new aspect of thinking towards why others act and feel the way that they do. One comparable thing is that everyone‚ no matter your culture or who you are‚ has a focus of concern towards their own appearance and health. The Nacirema culture is different in this aspect by the way they go about their concerns of their appearance and health‚ which I am sure the majority
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Please define and compare and contrast ETHNOCENTRISM and CULTURAL RELATIVISM. Discuss how you have experienced OR witnessed both concepts in our American Society. Ethnocentrism is viewing your own culture as more superior than any other culture‚ that all other groups are measured in relation to one’s own. Ethnocentrism can lead to cultural misinterpretation and it often distorts communication between human beings. + while cultural relativism is "the concept that the importance of a particular
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Webster’s dictionary defines ethnocentrism as "The tendency to evaluate other groups according to the values and standards of one’s own ethnic group‚ especially with the conviction that one’s own ethnic group is superior to the other groups." When first reading this definition‚ one would naturally agree that ethnocentrism does exist in our world and society‚ often confusing it with patriotism. However‚ many do not realize that ethnocentrism is‚ has been‚ and continues to be a leading cause for violence
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