Ethnocentrism Vs. Cultural Relativism
Ethnocentrism- Using your culture as a yardstick to judge other cultures. Usually leading to negative evaluations of their society. Ex. A snobby tourist, The pilgrims.
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Americans, and other first world countries are equally Ethnocentric. This is a bad thing. I think ethnocentrism in general is a bad thing, it causes people to view other cultures as inferior, or lower than us.
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Counterculture- A group that places it's beliefs on the opposite side then the broader group. People oppose Countercultures. That is what sets them apart from a Subculture. ex. the KKK.
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Cultural Diffusion- The spread of a cultures characteristics from one culture to another. Ex. A language transferring into another country.
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Cultural Lag- Ogburn's term for human behavior lagging behind technological innovations. Ex. Amish people. New Technologies- The emerging technologies of an era that have a significant impact on social life. Ex. Cars.
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Cultural Relativism- Not being judgmental of a culture but trying to understand it on it's own terms. Ex. Doctors without boarders, Peace corps.
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Culture Shock- The feeling of disorientation, surprise, or awe one gets when they are exposed to a vastly different culture. Ex. When a person goes to a poor area in Thailand, or India and sees a man living in a shack made of a corrugated steel roof, and some sticks. And they have a moment of realization of how lucky they are.
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Folkways- Norms that are not strictly enforced. Ex. Men should have short hair. Mores- Norms that are strictly enforced. Ex. Men wear men's clothes. Taboo- A norm that is so strict, that if you break it, you are seen as unfit to live in human society. Ex. Cannibalism, Incest.
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Gestures- The ways in which people move their bodies to communicate with one another. Ex. Hand motions, The middle finger.
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Ideal Culture- The ideal values and norms of a people. Ex. Heaven.
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Material Culture- Parts of culture that involve material objects, or things you can touch. Ex. Clothes, Art, Food, Jewelry.
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Negative Sanction- A punishment for breaking a norm. Ex. Getting a timeout for throwing a tantrum.
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Non Material Culture- Parts of culture that involve non material objects, or things that you can not physically handle. Ex. Religion, Language, Values, Symbols.
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Pilgrims- They came to America and saw the Natives as inferior, and wanted to save them. Negative Tourists- They travel to new places, then they want to help them, because they think they are inferior. Negative Peace Corps- They travel to other countries to help people improve their lives. Posative
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Positive Sanction- A reward for following a norm. Ex. 20 bucks for dressing fancy.
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Real Culture- The actual values and norms of a people. Ex. every day society.
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Sapir-Whorf- Language is the basis of our learning, thinking and Perceiving. Ex. You need to know language to think about things.
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Subculture- The values and related behaviors of a group, that distinguish it's members, from a larger group. The difference between the two is that people don't necessarily have opposing views to a Subculture, they are just different. I am a member of my work Subculture. Most of the people that I work with are hippies, and really outdoorsy people so we are a little different. Ex
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Symbol- Something to which people attach meaning too, and then use to communicate with each other. Ex. Language
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Symbolic Culture- Another term for Non Material Culture. Parts of culture that involve non material objects, or things that you can not physically handle. Ex. Religion, Language, Values, Symbols.
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The 5 Qualities of Language: 1. Language allows people to communicate. 2. Language allows us to have memory. 3.Language allows us to make plans. 4.Allow shared ideas, like religion. 5. Allows shared goals.
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Values- The standards by which people define what is desirable, or undesirable. Ex. What is attractive, and what is not.
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