Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism represents an attitude towards other cultures, cultural traditions and societies from the point of view of one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism is inevitable part of any society. By growing up, an individual is surrounded by, and thought about specific cultural and social norms of the society it belongs to. In that way, these norms, traditions, and qualities naturally become a starting point from which individuals create attitudes toward the world and other societies. A simple and innocent example of ethnocentrism can be the choice of food: Chinese custom of eating dogs seems repellent to a member of a western society. In this way, ethnocentrism narrows the perspectives and understanding of other societies. In overcoming this, a dose of relativism is necessary when approaching other cultures. This means that “others” should be approached through a widened spectrum of understanding, which would allow us to see the reasons and logic behind an act which seems unusual, repellent or simply different from ours.
Changes of Modern Culture
In modern times, most of the societies became multi-ethnic. Small scale cultural characteristics are being modified and lost in the process of rapid globalization. This globalization is due to conditions of modern trade, technology, or media, which is how intercultural communication and exchange is easier and faster. Nowadays, different ideas and experiences are rapidly being spread through modern media, and new standards are easily being expanded. In this way, through the process of cultural levelling, attitudes and qualities of (politically) advanced and richer societies are easily being imposed to the rest of the world. This is how “advanced” societies are still being dominant in sense that their qualities dictate the development and structure of other societies and cultures. As an example of cultural imperialism today, different politics are being applied by the Western societies which keep them at economic and political top (Kraidy 2006: 22-25). As an example of this, we can see how persuasive advertisement and marketing of these societies impact other cultures, and this is how, we can find McDonald’s in every corner of the world.
Reference
:Kraidy, M. M. (2006), Hybridity of Cultural Logic of Globalization, Temple University Press. Retrieved from http://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=626979
