SOCI 210 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Xenocentrism, Cultural Relativism, Cultural Imperialism
1 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Unwritten rules bring sense of security to people, make them feel comfortable. A way of life, central concept in sociology, applied to large number of ppl that share it. Culture: shared or widespread beliefs, values and practices of a group; expected behaviors enforced by people who interact and share culture. Nonmaterial culture: ideas, attitude and beliefs of a society. Cultural universals: patterns/traits globally common to all societies (i. e. family unit) Ethnocentrism: judging & evaluating another culture based on how it compares to one"s own cultural norms. Ethnographies: try to document culture, subcultures and countercultures (micro view) Ethnomethodology: experimental study that how ppl react to norm breaking. Xenocentrism: belief that another culture is superior to one"s own. Cultural imperialism: deliberate imposition of one"s own cultural values on another culture. Cultural shock: disorientation & frustration, not expect cultural differences. Cultural relativism: assessing a culture by its own standards rather than viewing it through the lens of one"s own culture (objectivity, open minded)
