跨文化交际英语民族主义EthnocentrismVSEthnorelativism

Ethnocentrism,coinedbyWilliamGrahamSumner,istheviewpointthatone’sethnicgroupisthecenterofeverything,againstwhichallothergroupsarejudged.Withinculture,language,behavior,customscanbeabasisforethnicdistinctions,andsub-divisions.Inthemodernworld,however,thecrossingofthelinesbetweencultures,thatatonetimehappenedonlyoccasionally,hasbecomeaneverydayoccurrence.Technologicaladvancesincommunicationhaveprogressivelyovercomepreviousobstaclestocommunication--physicalobstaclesthatoncehelpedtokeepethnicdistinctionsdistinct.Ethniclinesstillexist,andco-exist,andculturesoftheworldoftenfindthattheircentralconcern,thatofmaintaininganidentitydespiterapidtransculturation,isstillpossible.Inthemodernworld,however,thecrossingofthelinesbetweencultures,thatatonetimehappenedonlyoccasionally,hasbecomeaneverydayoccurrence.Technologicaladvancesincommunicationhaveprogressivelyovercomepreviousobstaclestocommunication--physicalobstaclesthatoncehelpedtokeepethnicdistinctionsdistinct.Ethniclinesstillexist,andco-exist,andculturesoftheworldoftenfindthattheircentralconcern,thatofmaintaininganidentitydespiterapidtransculturation,isstillpossible.Thecommonresponseinallsocietiestootherculturesistojudgethemintermsofthevaluesandcustomsoftheirownfamiliarculture.Thisisethnocentrism.Beingfondofyourownwayoflifeandcondescendingorevenhostilebutinferior,lesssensible,andeven“unnatural”.Thecommonresponseinallsocietiestootherculturesistojudgethemintermsofthevaluesandcustomsoftheirownfamiliarculture.Thisisethnocentrism.Beingfondofyourownwayoflifeandcondescendingorevenhostilebutinferior,lesssensible,andeven“unnatural”.Europeanculturesstronglycondemnothersocietiesthatpracticepolygamyandtheeatingofdogs---practicesthatEuropeansgenerallyconsidertobeimmoralandoffensive.Likewise,conservativeMoslemsocieties,suchasAfghanistan,considerEuropeanwomenhighlyimmodestandimmoralforgoingoutinpublicwithoutbeingchaperonedbyamalerelativeandwithouttheirbodiescoveredfromheadtotoesoastopreventmenfromlookingatthem.Ethnocentrismisnotcharacteristiconlyofcomplexmodernsocieties.Peopleinsmall,relativelyisolatessocietiesarealsoethnocentricintheirviewsaboutoutsiders.Americentrismisthetermforculturalandpersonaldispositioninfavorofunitedstates,beitsculture,itspolitics,oritsideology.Theamericentrists’pointofview,aswithanypointofviewnormalforAmericanstohave.Howevertheterm“americentrism”pointstoissueswhereapredominanceofAmericanpointofviewexists,tothedetrimentofaneutralorworldview.Thepositionofusingthetraditionsofone’sowncultureorsocietyasastartingpointforjudginganypractice.Inasense,ethnocentrismisinevitable,becausewearedeeplyshapedbythebeliefsandvaluesofthecommunitiesinwhichweareraised.Webecomepeopleintheabstractbybecomingmembersofsuchparticularconcretegroups.Ifthiscontingentfactisgiventoomuchweight,however,ethnocentrismwillcollapseintoculturalrelativism,chauvinisticconservatismandracism.Onecanbalanceethnocentrismwithanattempttofindauniversalandmoreobjectivepointofview.Evenifthisenlightenmentidealcannotbeachieved.Ethnocentrismneednotconfineourconversewithpeoplewhohavegrownupwithadifferentethos,anditremainsafallacytotakeone’sownethosasobjectivelyanduniversallyzcorrects.Evenifthisenlightenmentidealcannotbeachieved.Ethnocentrismneednotconfineourconversewithpeoplewhohavegrownupwithadifferentethos,anditremainsafallacytotakeone’sownethosasobjectivelyanduniversallyzcorrects.“Ethnocentrismonlyinvolvestakingone’slanguage,beliefs,desiresandtheinterestsofone’scommunityasastartingpoint.”