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12th
August 2010
Ethnocentrism
– a St. Lucian concern?
Coined
by William Graham Sumner, Ethnocentrism
is the viewpoint that one’s ethnic
grouping is the center of everything,
against which all other groupings are
judged. Culture, language, behaviour,
customs, and religion can be a basis for
ethnic distinctions, and sub-divisions.
Surely, ethnocentrism is applicable to
Saint Lucia and Saint Lucians. It’s
a peculiar behavior by some person (s)
who erroneously believe in their cultural
and political superiority. This is evident
in both developed and developing societies
or in first or third world countries.
Human beings from time immemorial have
displayed their self-interests or outright
selfishness – be they Caucasians,
Africans, East Indians or Mongolians.
Take for instance, the rise and fall of
Adolf Hitler in Germany. He massacred
millions of Jews, due to cultural differences.
Indeed, the Europeans also felt they were
superior to Africans. Hence, the establishment
of Slavery.
In the modern world however, the crossing
of the lines between cultures, that at
one time happened only occasionally, has
become an everyday occurrence. Technological
advances in communication have progressively
overcome previous obstacles to communication
- physical obstacles that once helped
to keep ethnic distinctions distinct.
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Ethnic lines
still exist, and co-exist, and cultures of
the world often find that their central concern,
that of maintaining an identity despite rapid
transculturation, is still possible.
The reasons for maintaining an ethnicity are
often personal, and relate to the cohesion
of familiar personal and social elements -
in other words, attachment or accustoment.
We all are born into a human culture, and
it is the culture that shapes our self-awareness
and understanding of other individuals. It
also reflects, depending on the cultural teaching,
customs or patterns of behaviour in relating
to other cultures. This behaviour can range
from universal acceptance or feelings of inferiority
compared with other cultures, to racism, which
many consider an aspect of xenophobia.
But the omnipotent GOD created every human
being on an equal platform and gave us the
intellectual ability and inventive spirit
to use scarce resources for our survival on
planet earth within the “global village”.
Unfortunately, we have continued to make heroes
and heroines of some, while making martyrs
of others. Obviously, self-interest has made
this world vulnerable in more ways than one.
(Extracted and adapted from an article submitted
by Frank Girard)
Discuss
Story
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