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TL;DR:
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture, assuming that one’s culture is either the norm or superior. This mindset distorts communication, fosters false assumptions, and leads to cultural misunderstandings. It often shows up in small ways—such as calling British driving on the left side of the road “wrong” or saying Hebrew is written “backward.” Ethnocentrism can lead to naïve ethnocentrism, absolutist thinking (“my way or the highway”), and a lack of respect for cultural differences. Overcoming this mindset can feel awkward at times, but doing so can lead to joy, growth, and deeper human connections.
Being ethnocentric leads to making false assumptions about cultural differences.
“Many of the problems in working across cultures do not result from ill intent, but from the assumption that others see the world in the same way we do.” — E.D., European Nazarene College student
We are ethnocentric when we use the norms of our own culture to generalize about the cultures and customs of other peoples. Such generalizations—often made without conscious awareness that we are using our culture as a universal yardstick—can be seriously mistaken and cause us to misjudge others. Ultimately, ethnocentric thinking reduces another culture’s way of life to a pale version of our own. It leads to cultural misinterpretation and distorts communication between people of different cultures. Therefore, it can be described as dysfunctional.
We may make premature judgments for several reasons:
Americans often talk about British drivers driving “on the wrong side” of the road. Why not simply say “the opposite side” or “the left-hand side”?
We talk about written Hebrew as reading “backward.” Why not just say “from right to left” or “in the opposite direction from written English”?
I told university students who were about to go on short-term mission trips to think or say, “Oh, that’s different,” rather than using more negative and pejorative terms when encountering unfamiliar customs or foods.
Although it operates in the opposite direction, xenocentrism is closely related to ethnocentrism. Xenocentrism means preferring the ideas, products, or customs of other cultures to those of one’s own culture. At the heart of xenocentrism is an assumption (conscious or unconscious) that other cultures are superior to one’s own. That is why xenocentrism could be considered ethnocentrism in reverse.
We must be careful, of course, not to make accusations of “ethnocentrism” simply to discredit people whose views differ from ours. The best use of an understanding of ethnocentrism is to use it to correct our own attitudes and behavior rather than those of others.
We need to keep in mind the 2,000-year-old admonition of Jesus of Nazareth: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)
To help you recognize, understand, and address ethnocentrism and ethnocentric attitudes and behavior, see how a dog sled race illustrates ethnocentrism.
Read Paul Hiebert’s thoughts on ethnocentrism.
Well, a provincialism growing out of a monocultural worldview can cause you to fall into these traps:
"To understand one's culture is to appreciate its value. When you appreciate the value of someone else's culture, you set aside the presupposed superiority of your own culture.” — Adam Deckard, youth pastor
Dr. Seuss’s story “The Sneetches” delightfully confronts prejudice based on
cultural and ethnic differences.
YouTube
reading of "The Sneetches"
“Cultural differences should be celebrated, not ironed out.” — Christy Williams, Nazarene Bible College student
In an increasingly globalized world, what can move us forward on the path toward cross-cultural awareness and understanding? To monitor their progress toward a destination, travelers in the U.S. often check the numbers on metal markers placed every mile along U.S. highways. For thousands of years, European travelers have depended on numbered "milestones" to mark progress toward their destination.
Cultural awareness is more than just realizing that another culture is different from ours. Genuine cultural awareness includes learning to value other societies and to respect their cultural boundaries. So, how do we reach that point?
Here are some milestones commonly encountered on the journey toward authentic cross-cultural sensitivity and understanding:
Destination: Embracing the joy of multiculturalism and cross-cultural understanding
Inviting people to move toward cross-cultural understanding is not a call to adopt cultural relativism. Superficial cultural relativism trivializes differences and can even gloss over evil. An uncritical form of cultural relativism could, for example, be used to excuse a harmful practice merely because it is culturally accepted.
As we consider beginning this pilgrimage across cultural differences, we must not allow misguided or self-serving appeals to diversity to discourage us from pursuing genuine cross-cultural understanding.
The road to cross-cultural understanding will not always be easy. Misunderstandings, conflicting priorities, and significant differences of opinion will arise. However, we must not allow them to diminish the rewards awaiting us along the way.
“One reason we learn about diversity is so we don't say something stupid and offend people.” — SNU freshman
In many parts of Mexico, plumbing and sewer systems are not designed to handle toilet paper reliably. As a result, residents and visitors may be instructed to place used toilet paper in a wastebasket rather than flushing it.
After one short-term mission trip to Mexico for which I was the coordinator, a young female participant sent me this note:
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
Ethnocentrism and monoculturalism are related concepts but with distinct meanings:
The big picture: While both concepts involve a focus on one's own culture, ethnocentrism involves a judgmental and often biased attitude toward other cultures, whereas monoculturalism describes limited exposure to cultural diversity.
E – Expecting one’s culture to be the standard
T – Thinking other ways are inferior
H – Holding on to beliefs that divide
N – Narrow views of the world
O – Overlooking the value in other cultures
C – Clashing unnecessarily with diversity
E – Excluding what is unfamiliar or seems strange
N – Never seeking interaction with those who differ
T – Trying to impose one’s views as the only “right” ones
R – Resisting growth and self-examination
I – Ignoring the value in different minds
S – Stifling understanding
M – Missing the beauty in the mix
Like acrostics? Here are more of them.
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