Download Cultures in Contact

Cultures in Contact
From Ethnocentrism to Racism
To Ponder
• Where do the boundaries between one culture
begin and another end?
• What makes a culture?
To Examine
• Examining these questions will lead to an
appreciation of the level of complexity found in
every culture.
To Appreciate
• You will gain an appreciation of how the
experiences of individuals and communities are
central to truly understanding culture at a deeper
level.
To Ponder
• What is culture?
• What is your culture?
What is (Your) Culture?
• A culture is a people's whole way of life.
What is (Your) Culture?
• When we think about culture, the aspects that tend
to come to mind first are those that are on the
surface and easy to recognize as unique such as
clothing, food, language, songs, or dances.
Culture:
Deeper than the Surface
• However, the majority of what constitutes culture
goes a lot deeper than the surface.
The Deeper Aspects of Culture
• The deeper aspects of culture include the stories
that we tell ourselves and others, which help define
our values, beliefs, social organization, the symbols
and forms of creative expression that we use, and
our methods of education.
To Ponder
• What are the deeper aspects of culture?
The Deeper Aspects of Culture
• Culture also includes matters as profound as
spirituality and world view.
Culture Defined
• Culture includes all the activities and beliefs and
values practiced by a specific group of people that
are systematically taught to subsequent generations
(passed down from generation to generation).
Cultures Have BELIEFS
• 1. an acceptance that a statement is true or that
something exists = "her belief in the value of hard
work"
Cultures Have BELIEFS
• 2. trust, faith, or confidence in someone or
something = "a belief in democratic politics"
Cultures Have VALUES
• 1. the regard that something is held to deserve; the
importance, worth, or usefulness of something =
"your support is of great value"
Cultures Have VALUES
• 2. a person's principles or standards of behavior;
one's judgment of what is important in life = "they
internalize their parents’/guardians’ rules and
values"
To Ponder
• Can cultures change over time? How?
Culture: Transform + Change
• The transformation of cultures or cultural change
is when some elements of a culture adapt and
change over time while others remain the same.
Culture: Adaption + Changes
• For example, traditional coastal First Nations
people in BC sent their dead out to the ocean in a
canoe while interior First Nations people placed
their dead in tree-top graves.
Culture: Adaption + Changes
• Contemporary BC First Nations peoples either
bury or cremate the deceased, and Christian
practices may be combined with traditional First
Nations funeral practices.
Culture: Remains the Same
• However, First Nations people’s traditional world
view regarding the passage of the dead from the
world of the living remains very much the same as
in the past.
Culture: Remains the Same
• In death, ceremonies may be conducted to facilitate
the passage of souls to another realm—though
with Athapaskan cultures, death and reincarnation
were not viewed as positive phenomena and
therefore traditional practices did not exist to
facilitate the process.
Culture: Remains the Same
• First Nations people identify themselves as the
descendants of other animal life forms that also
possess souls.
Culture: Remains the Same
• In many First Nations cultures, it is believed
reincarnation occurs when a soul inhabits either an
animal or human form in another life.
Culture: Change + Remain
• Cultures can change and adapt but can also retain
their ways.
Culture: Discrimination
• Unfortunately, various aspects of cultures or the
culture in its entirety and its members often are
met with discriminatory attitudes due to
misunderstandings, power issues and
ethnocentrism/racism.
To Ponder
• What happens when a culture and its members
(its people) are not understood or accepted?
4 Aspects of Discrimination
BELIEFS +
ATTITUDES
Stereotyping =
“set image”
Discrimination =
racism, sexism,
homophobia,
classism, etc.
Systemic
Discrimination =
policies + practices
Prejudice = “prejudging”
BEHAVIOUR +
ACTION
Circle of Attitudes + Behaviours
Stereotype
Systemic Discrimination
Prejudice
Discrimination
Ethnocentrism:
I Am the Centre of the Universe
• People may at times make wrong assumptions
about others based on their own cultural beliefs
and values.
Ethnocentrism:
I Am the Centre of the Universe
• These can cause misunderstandings and led to
stereotypes + prejudice.
Ethnocentrism:
There Is More Than Just You
• If we do not take into account other people's
viewpoints and world views, we end up acting in a
biased or prejudiced ways which leads to
discrimination.
Ethnocentrism Defined
• Problems occur when people hold the mistaken
belief that their cultural values embody the only
correct view, or that their view is better than others
= this is called ethnocentrism.
Ethnocentrism Defined
• In other words, the attitude and belief that one’s
own racial group or identity, nation, culture is
superior to all others – We are/I am the best.
Cultural Relativism
• Ethnocentrism is closely tied to cultural relativism.
Cultural Relativism Defined
• Cultural relativism is the principle that an
individual human's beliefs and activities should be
understood by others in terms of that individual's
own culture.
Bias Defined
• Ethnocentrism is also closely linked to bias.
• A bias is a particular tendency, trend, inclination,
feeling, or opinion, especially one that is
preconceived or unreasoned.
Bias: Unreasonably Hostile
• Often a bias includes unreasonably hostile feelings
or opinions about a social group; prejudice;
accusations of racial bias (favoring your own
racialized group/identity).
Activity on Ethnocentrism +
Cultural Relativism
• See the additional activity handout
• Individual + Small Group Work
• Take notes/answer questions
• Be prepared to share with the class
To Ponder
• What is the difference between opinions and
facts?
An Opinion: Definition #1
• 1) A view or judgment formed about
something/someone, not necessarily based on fact
or knowledge.
An Opinion: Definition #2
• 2) The beliefs or views of a large number or
majority of people about a particular thing.
An Opinion = A Judgment
• An opinion is a view or judgment formed about
something, which may be based on fact or
knowledge.
An Opinion = ONLY I
• If a statement uses words such as always, never,
should, all, none, most, least, greatest, best, and
worst – then it most likely is an opinion because it
represents someone’s personal feelings (Only I
think that).
A Fact: Definitions #1 + #2
• 1) A thing that is indisputably the case.
• 2)Information used as evidence or as part of a
report or news article.
A Fact: Checked + Proven
• A fact can be checked and proven to be true – it is
for real a fact.
• No matter who says it, it’s true!
Activity On Opinions Vs Facts
• See the additional activity handout
• Small Group Work
• Keep track of responses
• Be prepared to share with the class
To Ponder
• What is a stereotype?
Stereotypes:
Superficial + Simplistic
• Ethnocentrism and bias often lead to cultural
stereotyping, which occurs when we look at people
from other cultures in superficial and simplistic
ways.
Stereotypes: Negative Attitudes
• This can often develop into negative attitudes
about people from other cultures.
Stereotypes: Defined
• The idea that ‘all’ members of a group are the
same, rather than individuals with differing abilities,
personalities and values.
Stereotypes: Defined
• In other words, stereotypes are overgeneralizations
about the appearance, behaviour, or other
characteristics of all members of a group.
Stereotypes: Historically
• Throughout history, ethnocentrism and cultural
stereotyping have been at the root of many
conflicts between individuals and groups.
Stereotypes: Awareness
• By becoming aware of our own world view and
understanding the cultural context of people
within other world views, we can learn to value and
accept the richness of cultural diversity.
To Ponder
• What is meant by the term prejudice?
Prejudice
• Prejudice comes from the words “Pre” and
“Judge” = to pre-judge.
Prejudice
• In other words, to have an opinion or image based
on previously held ideas rather than knowledge or
experience.
Prejudice Defined
• It is an irrational, negative attitude about people
based on such characteristics as racialization,
gender, age, ability, religion, and/or sexual
orientation.
Prejudice
• Prejudice is when you agree with the stereotypes.
To Ponder
• What is discrimination?
Discrimination Defined
• Discrimination (to discriminate) = To treat a
particular group, or member of a particular group
differently or unfairly.
• It is based on prejudices and stereotypes.
Discrimination: Forms
• There are many forms of discrimination:
• Racism, colourism, anti-Semitism, sexism,
misogyny, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia,
ableism, ageism, classism, etc.
Discrimination: An Example
• There is a prejudice that Aboriginal people do not
have good work habits.
Discrimination: An Example
• There are stereotypes that Aboriginal people are
not smart, that they are always late, that they are
alcoholics.
Discrimination: An Example
• Discrimination occurs when a person is not given a
job because they are Aboriginal.
To Ponder
• What is racism?
Racism: Categorization
• Over time, a variety of attempts have been made to
categorize humans into clearly delineated groups
by different means including: skin colour or other
physical attributes; ethnicity; and affiliation to a
particular culture, religion, or nation.
Racism:
Assumptions = Discrimination
• In many cases, assumptions about people
categorized this way have led to racism/racial
discrimination — unfair treatment on the basis of
these qualities.
Racism: Historically
• Historically, the British, Spanish, and explorers
from other European nations held the view that
they were superior to the racial identities with
which they came into contact during their
numerous expeditions. This is racism.
Racism Defined
• Racism is the mistreatment of people on the basis
of race, place of origin, or ancestry; the belief that
one group of people is inferior or superior to
another.
Racism Defined
• Racism is any action based on stereotypes that view
all members of a racial, ethnic, or cultural group as
being the same, rather than individuals.
Racism is Exclusion
• Exclusions that involve racialization.
• Exclusions that are organized (i.e. made by people).
• Exclusions that have significant negative
consequences for the excluded.
Racism Draws Attention to
Inclusions
• Understanding racism as an exclusion draws
attention to processes of creating inclusions (to be
included, accepted, valued).
Racism is about Impacts
• It also means that racism is NOT about intentions
(what was intended).
• Rather racism is about effects/impacts.
Intent vs. Impact Reading Activity
• Read “Intent vs. Impact: Why our intentions don’t
really matter” by Jamie Utt
• See additional handout + answer the THREE
questions at the end of the reading.
Racism: Social Location
• People experience racism differently because of
how it locates them socially (placement in society).
Racism Socially Constructed
• Racism originates from thoughts, beliefs, values = it is
in the head = it is socially constructed (knowledge made
by humans to benefit certain humans).
• Regardless, racism is a reality in our world.
4 Aspects of Discrimination
BELIEFS +
ATTITUDES
Stereotyping =
“set image”
Discrimination =
racism, sexism,
homophobia,
classism etc.
Systemic
Discrimination =
policies + practices
Prejudice = “prejudging”
BEHAVIOUR +
ACTION
Circle of Attitudes + Behaviours
Stereotype
Systemic Discrimination
Prejudice
Discrimination
Racism Reading Activity
• Read “Going to Town School,” excerpted from
Jeannette C. Armstrong’s Slash + “Indian Woman”
& Marie Annharte Bakers’ “I Want to Dance Wild
Indian Black Face”
• See additional handout/instructions.
Racism Reading Activity
• Individual work
• Note down your responses
• Be prepared to hand in
Up Next:
Cultural Exchange vs.
Appropriation