Ethnocentrism is a term that describes the tendency for people to view another culture through the lens of their own cultural upbringing, placing their culture at the center and scaling all cultures in reference to it. I can see how this can easily be a negative exercise, as it automatically implies a sense of superiority for one’s own culture and decreases an individual’s ability to engage a culture without bias. However, it seems impossible to me that a person could ever truly shed their perspectives of growing up/living elsewhere and the ideals associated with their own culture when engaging a new culture. After a month living abroad in Cuenca, I’m not convinced that they should.
When immersing myself in Ecuadorian culture, I have found it comforting and useful to orient myself in this new place by comparing it to my experience of living in the US. It’s natural, I think, to automatically note similarities and differences between the new and the familiar and to judge the new based on the old. As I’m walking down the street, there are constantly things that strike me as different from the US. Sometimes, I prefer the way that US handles that particular thing, and sometimes I think Ecuador’s approach is superior. I think adopting an ethnocentric perspective only becomes negative when it inhibits an individual from appreciating the merits of another culture. A simple example, that has caused an avalanche of reflection for me, is the fact that there are often exposed electrical wires dangling over the sidewalk. This would never be allowed in the US because there is a risk that someone could be electrocuted and the electrical company would be held responsible. Apparently Ecuador doesn’t have the same liability laws because these wires are common. On one hand, I like that safety standards are higher in the US. But, I think liability suits are a little out of control, so I like that the culture surrounding safety in Ecuador places greater emphasis on common sense and self-accountability.
I think that ethnocentrism goes awry only when arrogance and the assumption of one’s own culture’s “rightness” poisons the possibility of learning from the differences between the new and the familiar. Engaging a new culture is a useful tool to critically evaluate the cultural norms with which we are entstilled at a young age. Without actively comparing, I think the opportunity for increased understanding and appreciation is lost.