Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism Sociology 111 Fall 2008

Alfred Schutz German philosopher and sociologist Heavily influenced branch of symbolic interactionist sociology called phenomenology Responsible for the core concept of social construction

“The world taken for granted” Assume that our culture is natural Deeply penetrates our identity Evaluate everything through the lens of our culture Allows us to easily function in daily life

Internalization Process of learning culture so well that it is bound to your identity Internalized culture or “culture within”

Encountering other cultures Culture shock Immersion in an unfamiliar environment causes disorientation Radically different cultures can challenge or cause us to question our basic assumptions Anomie

Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism Viewing other cultures through the lens of our own Taking our own culture as the “norm” Group solidarity & pride in heritage Devaluing groups other than own

Cultural Relativism Evaluating a culture on its own terms Learning to “see” from the perspective of another in order to understand a culture Refraining from making judgments of “right” and “wrong”

For consideration Is it possible to always practice cultural relativism? Should we always practice cultural relativism? Are there practices that we as moral beings should oppose, even as social scientists? Should scientific objectivity take precedence above all? If a line is to be drawn, where should it be?