Intense Preference For Own Group example essay topic

305 words
Ethnocentricity Jan Pettman (1986: 6) claims that ethnocentric ty 'is a vital ingredient ina racist ideology' and upon contemplation, she is probably correct. D'Souza (1996: 522) is right when he says that many cultures have 'an intense preference for [their] own group' over others. Yet it is perhaps the intensity of preference and the way the preference is expressed that distinguishes ethnocentricity from racism. While racism combines the intense preference with un admirable actions, ethnocentricity combines the preference with culture-bound myopia, that may lead but does not have to lead to those same un admirable actions. Therefore, it is perhaps true that adherence to a singular viewpoint, be it Asian, African, or European, with no ability or desire to explore or assimilate into other cultures is a precursor to overt racism.

Alan Singer (1994: 285), looks at ethnocentric ty as a 'political and religious movement that uses historical information for the creation of unifying cultural symbols. ' Today, there are Afrocentric's, Eurocentricsandassorted other-centric's. Their goal is to study their culture, understand it on its own terms, recapture it, and make it more a part of themselves. Ethnocentricity is the ethnically, or culturally, bound way of viewing one " sown ethnic origins.

In its vituperative form, it espouses superiority over other groups. In its earlier, passive form, it gathers knowledge of its own culture to use to strengthen that same culture. We all have a need to belong to a community we can call our own. The building or re-creation of such a community allows us to appease this need. However, when the same building or re-creating becomes limiting, when it locks the doors to our understanding of others or acknowledging belong to a different community, it is ethnocentric ty bordering on racism.

Bibliography

Souza, D (1995) 'Is Racism a Western Idea?' American Scholar, 64 (4), pp.
517-539. Pettman, J (1986) 'What Is Racism?' Anti-Racism: A Handbook for Adult Educators.
A GPS. Canberra. Pp. 3-10. Singer, A (1994) 'Reflections on Multiculturalism.