ethnocentrism

American  

[eth-noh-sen-triz-uhm] / ˌɛθ noʊˈsɛn trɪz əm /

noun

1. Sociology. the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture.

2. a tendency to view other ethnic or cultural groups from the perspective of one's own.

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ethnocentrism British  

/ ˌɛθnəʊˈsɛnˌtrɪzəm /

noun

1. belief in the intrinsic superiority of the nation, culture, or group to which one belongs, often accompanied by feelings of dislike for other groups

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ethnocentrism Cultural  

1. The belief that one's own culture is superior to all others and is the standard by which all other cultures should be measured.

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Early social scientists in the nineteenth century operated from an ethnocentric point of view. So-called primitive tribes, for example, were studied by anthropologists to illustrate how human civilization had progressed from “savage” customs toward the accomplishments of Western industrial society.

Other Word Forms

• ethnocentric adjective
• ethnocentrically adverb
• ethnocentricity noun

Etymology

Origin of ethnocentrism

First recorded in 1905–10; ethno- + cent(e)r + -ism

Example Sentences

Steves's imperative to help Americans get over their ethnocentrism feels especially urgent in our current era of increasingly alarming isolationism.

From Salon

We also controlled for respondents' reported attention to political news, their level of white ethnocentrism and their authoritarian leanings.

From Salon

That is followed by Ethnoaesthetics, a word he coined to describe the resistance to cultural ethnocentrism.

From New York Times

But global events have somehow transformed a heavily staged show fueled by American ethnocentrism into a vehicle for cross-border affinity and real-life grief.

From Washington Post

America’s cultural ethnocentrism acts like a dead weight against any cross-cultural understanding.

From Seattle Times