Etnocentrismo

1. Ethnocentrism
It’s a social phenomenon. Was originated from the study of behaviors
and forms of relation between groups. Is one of the main reasons for
the racial divisions between members of different ethnic and religious
groups in the society. Ethnocentrism occurs everywhere and every day
both at the local level as a politician.
The term, appeared for the first time in 1906 of the hand of William
G. Summer in his work "Folksways" (Customs).
Definition:
Is the attitude of a group that consider that it has a central
position with respect to other groups, valuing more
positively their own achievements and particularities to the
different. It is the belief of the superiority of a personal
ethnic group, but also, it can be developed by racial or
religious differences.

2. Ethnocentrism

3. Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism, is the act of viewing and analyzing the world
according to the parameters of its own culture.
Attributing to them a net superiority over the others.
It is the action of observing and analyzing other cultures according to
the characteristics which has our culture, is also considered that our
culture is superior to others in different ways: ethnic, language,
customs, behavior and religion.
These elements create the cultural identity.
You can see ethnocentrism, in various historical points:
a) The Spanish, when came to America watched the Indians like animals without culture.
b) Hitler wanted to create a perfect race.
c) When France colonize Algeria and so on.
Ethnocentrism divided as it comes accompanied by discrimination, prejudices xenophobia.

4. Impe r ia l i sm, Me s iani sm,Ra c i sm
and Di s c r imina t ion

5. Ethnocentrism
Two approaches of ethnocentrism
a) The positive approach of ethnocentrism: that helps you
maintaining social cohesion and loyalty to the principles in
the group. Ethnocentrism is a pattern of reference to
preserve the culture, solidarity, loyalty, cooperation,
defense and survival of the group.
b) The negative vision: emphasizes as radical ethnocentrism
may lead to attitudes and phenomena such as the
violent nationalism and racism. Racism has traditionally
been defined as a "process of marginalize, exclude and
discriminate against those as defined on the basis of a
color or ethnicity group“.

6. Ethnocentrism
For other authors, ethnocentrism, international
migration, and xenophobia may be two sides
of the same coin.
The ethnocentrism is an attitude that
sees the world and the others through
the prism of the own ethnicity and
culture. Is the inability to look at the
world through the eyes of others.

7. Ethnocentrism
Some concepts
a) From the anthropology of Lévi-Strauss: presents
ethnocentrism as natural and inherent to the species human,
resulting the "desire of each culture to resist the cultures
that surround it, distinguish itself from them. Order not to
perish against other cultures should somehow remain
waterproof“.
b) From the view point of the evolutionary psychology:
ethnocentrism is defined as favoritism to the group itself and
the indifference or hostility toward other groups, and is
considered to be one of the mechanisms that exist in all
cultures and explain human behavior from an evolutionary
perspective.

8. Ethnocentrism
Some examples
a) European Imperialism:
Imperialism is the practice of taking other lands, which was practiced
throughout Europe from the 16th century. The colonies in the United
States were one of the regions that the Europeans tried to control from
abroad. They also seized land in Africa. Traces of this type of European
ethnocentrism is still evident today.
Ej: England and the Falkland Island (1833,1982). The war of The
Falklands (The final balance of the war in human lives was 649
Argentine soldiers and 255 British and 3 civilian Islanders).[1]
For example, in the schools of Europe, world studies courses, tend to
focus almost exclusively on the history of the United States and
Europe, ignoring other parts of the world.
[1] http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerra_de_las_Malvinas

9. Ethnocentrism
b) The mandate of Heaven:
The idea of the "mandate of heaven" proliferated by the
Chinese philosopher Confucias. The "mandate of heaven"
means that the Chinese felt that they had received to be able
to divine which gives right to exercise the rule heavy on
citizens, and had power over the rest of the world. In fact,
the emperor was referred to as the "son of heaven",
exemplifying the intense control that had over the people.
While this system of Government formally ended in the 19th
century, some scholars believe that Chinese ethnocentrism
lives.

10. Ethnocentrism
c) The nazi germany
One of the best-known and most horrific
examples of ethnocentrism that ever occurred
in history, was during Nazi Germany. Adolf
Hitler decided that he hated the Jews, as well as
some other groups of people. Many innocent
people were killed in the concentration camps.
The Jews never deserved the torture they
received, and this was clearly an extreme case
of ethnocentrism.

11. Ethnocentrism
1. American policy
The United States shown as a more powerful, higher nation
economically and in general "better" than other Nations.
This has been demonstrated by the tendency to venture into
the situations that occur in other Nations, such as the current
participation in the Middle East affairs.
Although the idea that all citizens of the United States are
belonging to the same ethnic group is debatable since the
country has citizens from all the world. Even so, in this case,
the sense of national pride can stand in a sense that the
Americans are "a pure American breed“.

12. Ethnocentrism
2. Messianic Imperialism
The book, titled “United States: intervention and
messianic power. The cold war in Guatemala”, wrote in
1954. It is a look from interdisciplinary to the foreign
policy of the United States to Latin America during the
Cold War. The author explores the historical and cultural
roots of American Foreign Policy and the history of
relations between the United States and Latin America, to
subsequently explore the particular case of intervention
in Guatemala whose purpose was to overthrow the
Government of Jacobo Árbenz.

13. Ethnocentrism
Based on the concept of supremacy, explains the way in
which United States exerted their power in L. America since
the 19th century was its national ideology that consists of
elements such as expansionism, Americanism,
Protestantism, a feeling of superiority and a spiritual pride
of being the chosen people to protect from evil to the rest
of the world.
American foreign policy towards Latin America during the
years 1950s and 1960s was based on three ideas: a)
Americanism, b) exceptionalism and c) interventionism.

14. Ethnocentrism
The goal was to protect their identity, their safety and
their area of domination against the Soviet threat.
Since its origins the American perception that Latin
America was less in terms of race, culture,
morality, and politics was present.
The negative response from the United States before
the revolutions could be natural, because the latter
are seen as a threat to its national security and not as
part of an internal process.

15. Ethnocentrism
The Big Stick or "Big stick" policy is authored by the twenty-sixth
President of Estados Unidos Theodoro Roosevelt (1858-1909). It is a
system that has governed the hegemonic policy of United States on
Latin America, the arm of the Monroe doctrine, "America for the
Americans", which today we call finally Americans since the beginning of
the 20th century

16. Ethnocentrism
Conclution
Ethnocentrism is a powerful force that can destroy the human
relations. Despite the cultural differences, we are human. There is
no intrinsic difference between a Jew and a Christian, a black and a
white, a Chinese citizen and a German citizen, etc. Perhaps, everyone
can take a lesson from it to avoid unfair prejudice resulting from
ethnocentrism. Saint Paul told to the Galatians that now:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither
male nor female: for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus (Gálatians 3:28 Reina-Valera 1960)