Why Is It Important as an Anthropologist to Try to Be Relativistic Instead of Ethnocentric, Essay Example

Ethnocentrism is the propensity to believe that, an individual’s cultural or ethnic group is very important, and that any other group measures in relation to an individual’s own. An ethnocentric individual judges other cultural groups relative to his own ethnic group or culture, usually with concern to behavior, customs, language, and religion (James 124). The respective ethnic distinctions including the sub-divisions serve well in defining each ethnicity’s exclusive cultural identity.

Cultural relativism an approach used in understanding cultures. It asserts that understanding an individual’s beliefs and activities should be in terms of his culture not your own. The principle was established Franz Boas, an anthropologist to critic the ethnocentric approach. In understanding the concept, Boaz quoted that “civilization is ideally not something as absolute as people think, but it is actually relative” he added that “our conceptions and ideas are true only as our established civilization goes (James 124).”

For anthropologists, it is apparent that cultural relativism is the best approach and the only true way of understanding other cultures. For one, ethnocentrism leads an anthropologist in making false assumptions regarding cultural differences because of a misplaced perspective of other cultures. It is equally ethnocentric to use cultural norms in generalizing about other cultures and customs. To avoid misjudging other people and giving wrong perceptions about them, cultural relativism is the only better approach to analyze respective cultures (James 124). Worse to the approach, ethnocentrism will only lead an anthropologist in making premature judgments and comprise the analysis of varying cultures.

Marriage is an important aspect of culture globally. Different cultures practice different marriage routines according to their beliefs and customs. As an anthropologist, studying the issue of marriage among the respective cultures require a relativist approach. Because of varying cultural traditions, different cultures will practice different forms of marriages. It is important to have the notion that there is no right or wrong marriage when conducting the study on cultures. Some cultures allow polygamy as a form of marriage while others stick to monogamy and disregard polygamy as a social norm. None of these cultures is wrong in their beliefs. When you study the marriage issue based on an ethnocentric view, you will tend to support your culture’s perception on how you go about the marriage practice (James 124). Therefore, you will make wrong assumptions and conclusions branding others cultures probably as archaic or wrong cultures. This should not be the way of understanding other cultures because there will be an element of bias. In fact, your conclusions will totally be against other marriage practices in other cultures. Relativism is the way forward for anthropologists to make the right approaches in studying other cultures and coming up with an understanding of each specific marriage practice in respective cultures.

Cultures include an aspect of economic exchange in their daily routines. In studying the element of economic exchange, many anthropologists have had a difficult time in the analysis. Many of the earlier cultures used barter trade in their exchange. The culture involving money is more westernized. It has come in recently especially in cultures within the African continent. To understand the economic exchange, cultural relativism would be ideal to avoid bias. Ethnocentric approaches leads to premature conclusions in the study of respective economic exchanges. The ethnocentric perspective can only argue the ancient way of trading as archaic and poor means of exchange. However, is reality, barter trade was still working for these cultures because they were able to transact business as usual. Therefore, a relativist approach is better in use in studying these approaches of economic exchange in order to fully understand the entire process of economic exchange and conduct proper analysis without bias conclusions and assumptions.

Cultural relativism and Ethnocentrism are very exclusive (James 124). They concepts are two extremes on the philosophical spectrum. For a better understanding of cultural components, Cultural relativism is the way forward for anthropologists.

Works Cited

James, G. Humanity: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. New York, NY: Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc, 2002, p.124.