Ethnocentrism

There are numerous examples of where people have looked at the practices of another culture and questioned their morals. A few easy examples which spring to mind include Seal clubbing, whaling and female genital mutilation. I have no doubts that for some people these activities are extremely immoral and should be stopped ASAP. This is quite a natural response when presented with cultures which differ quite strongly to your own. However such views can have highly negative effects on the people who are being judged. When observing other cultures it is extremely important to look at the cultural significance of the event. By this I mean not only how it relates to other elements of the culture but also to its historical significance.

For instance using the example of female genital mutilation, there will be some who will quickly cry it is an attempt to control and coerce the female population. On the surface it does appear to be a strong indicator of an oppressive patriarchal society. While it is not done for the same reasons everywhere the culture in Africa I am referring to, does this for reasons rooted deep within their colonial history. Originally it was just the men who performed genital mutilation upon themselves. Well the colonizers found this practice to be quite immoral and desired them to desist with the practice. Because of the colonizers distaste for the practice the continuation of it served as a symbolic way of protesting for their independence. As independence was also of equal importance to the females and under their desire for equality they too began to follow the practice. This was not something that the males asked of expected of them but something that the females themselves chose to engage in. As my example here shows, when you begin to learn more about the historical meanings of an event the picture begins to change quite quickly. The same can be true about many other cultural practices.

I do not however claim that eliminating ethnocentrism is possible or desirable. But rather I strongly believe that people should try to understand the context of an idea before they try to decide whether it is appropriate or not. Naturally people will draw the line at different points, but it is much better to have an increased understanding before drawing said line.