Question 7

What is ethnocentrism?

Answer

William Graham Sumner coined the term ethnocentrism It means a feeling of one’s culture being superior to others. Sumner said that owner’s group is seen as most important, and other groups should be based according to one’s superior ways of living. People tend to exaggerate about their culture and judge one another based on this. In ethnocentrism, one feels other cultures are wrong and extreme ethnocentrism leads to xenophobia. An example of ethnocentrism is the constant debate about which culture is superior among the South Indians and North Indians. Each culture feels its culture to be superior.