ANTH-110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Ethnocentrism, Tacitus
11 Jan 2017
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February 9, 2016
Race as an ideology – easier to see, people genuinely believe people with different
backgrounds are actually different, and have different qualities
Race as a system – harder to see, parts of society are designed to favour some
groups over other groups
• People who are poor tend to take plea deals even though they’re innocent –
tends to effect races (Aboriginals)
• Differential recognition/acknowledgement of the systemic effects of race
One way to think about culture is like a pair of glasses – it filters and organizes our
perception of the world, it make some things come into focus and makes some
things fade
Culture normalizes our own perceptions. Your own view is taken as natural and
normal. You don’t even notice it, and if you do notice it, it’s only in contrast to
something different or other.
How does the concept of culture as a pair of glasses help us understand human
diversity?
1. It helps us understand why we see diversity as strange or wrong. When we
see people in a different way these cultural glasses help us understand that
they are doing things in their way
2. It gives us a tool to help us explain diversity and why there is a difference
between people and why they act differently.
It is important because when we think that our world is the only way to see the
world then we think that our own way we see the world is the normal, real,
authentic way to see the world. This is called naïve realism.
Ethnocentrism is when we judge someone against our own standards, of ourselves
and of our own culture. We are going to see other cultures as inferior or unnatural.
Relationship of Normalizing Culture to concept of Privilege
If you’re in a position of power and you build your empire around your way of
thinking then you’re group will have advantages and other groups will have
disadvantages. If society is constructed around something as normal then the
people in that society have an advantage.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Groups over other groups tends to effect races (aboriginals) February 9, 2016 backgrounds are actually different, and have different qualities: differential recognition/acknowledgement of the systemic effects of race. Race as an ideology easier to see, people genuinely believe people with different. Race as a system harder to see, parts of society are designed to favour some: people who are poor tend to take plea deals even though they"re innocent . One way to think about culture is like a pair of glasses it filters and organizes our normal. You don"t even notice it, and if you do notice it, it"s only in contrast to. How does the concept of (cid:498)culture as a pair of glasses(cid:499) help us understand human perception of the world, it make some things come into focus and makes some things fade. Your own view is taken as natural and something different or other. diversity: it helps us understand why we see diversity as strange or wrong.
