Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism, or the belief that the culture and beliefs in ones own country is better than those of another, has been around for centuries. Since the onset of globalization, there has been ethnocentrism. England, France, Spain, and the United States have been colonizing second and third world countries for years. During those times, those in the third world were expected to drop their deeply rooted traditions to adapt to a foreign culture. Today, the same problem still exists. Western beliefs and traditions are permiating those in the Third World. Even by calling those countries "Third World countries" the First World is assuming their own superiority. However, the capitalist world is not alone in their ethnocentrism. The Third World is joining the bandwagon in the "my country is better than yours" debate.

Globalization and Ethnocentrism

Let's pretend that each country was isolated from the others. There would be no cultural mixing, no opposing points of view. However, it did not happen this way. Each country went out to explore what the rest of the world was about. Culture was as much on the boat as food, tools, and other provisions. This is where the human race ran into a bit of a conflict. As the explorers landed on new territory, they took it over. Many times, those arriving had little concern for the culture and traditions of the indiginous people. The same went for the natives. Neither group cared for the culture of the other. Thus, ethnocentrism was born. From day one of imperialism and colonization, one culture was better than the other. To put it another way, imperialism was nothing more than a cultural war. Whatever culture was stronger, better, would have control over the land. Thus, as globaliation became more and more important to everyday life, so did ethnocentrism.

That Was Then, What about Now?

Today the thought of ethnocentrism permiates almost every part of today's society. It can be seen in many different lights. For example, the United States does not aid countries who are not democratic, thus alienating mainly second and third world countries. Also, if we look at the Vietnam War, we can see how quickly the United States took the viewpoint of the South Vietnamese. The same goes for the Korean War. The United States is extremely ethnocentric when dealing with the issue of communism. There is nothing that says that capitalist nations are better than communist ones. Still, when it comes to world affairs, first world capitalist nations have the final say.

What About the Little People?

Americans are considered to be the "cultural stew" or "melting pot" (depending on which theory is believed) of the world. Today, people are moving away from the melting pot and reforming into the cultural stew. More and more people are going back into their geneology and learning about their past and their culture. This creates strong ethnocentrism in the first world from the third world. For example: many school and college run organizations teach about culture. SUNY Geneseo has such organizations as the Black Student Union (BSU), and Hispanios Unidos en Geneseo (HUG)promote cultural unity and cohesion between people of the same background. However, this can create a bit of ethnocentrism off the shores of the third world. By teaching the different cultures, there is a note of superiority that has travelled across the oceans to the Western world.

Related Sites

American Birth Control in the Third World

Email: Lrr1@geneseo.edu