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UCSP Unit 4 Final - UCSP UNIT 4 SHS

Bs in English (University of the Philippines Cebu)

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UNIT 4: Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Essential Questions 3
Learning Targets 3
Lesson 1: Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism 3
Starting Out 3
Learn about It! 4
History Maker 8
Check Your Understanding 8
Putting Value 10
Lesson 2: Forms of Tangible and Intangible Heritage 10
Starting Out 10
Learn about It! 11
History Maker 15
Check Your Understanding 15
Putting Value 17

Real-world Challenge 18
Society and I: Self- Check 20
Wrap Up 20
Bibliography 21
Answers to Check Your Understanding 22
Glossary 23

GRADE 11/12 |Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

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UNIT 4

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

As the anthropologist Edward Tylor defined it, “Culture… is that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man
as a member of society.” It encompasses everything—from a cultural group’s choice of clothing,
to the language they use every day. Every society has its own unique culture that sets it apart
from others. As learners trying to understand culture, one must be aware of the diversity of
culture, as well as one’s disposition in perceiving them.

Fig. 1. Wedding in the Hindu Culture

Kumar Roy, Nripen. Man Wearing Gray Suit Near Woman Wearing Pink Saree Traditional Dress. Accessed January 17, 2018.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-gray-suit-near-woman-wearing-pink-saree-traditional-dress-725451/

The photo above depicts a Hindu wedding. This is an example of an aspect of Indian culture
that differentiates it from other cultures. The aspects of culture, which may include religion,
food, beliefs, and practices, vary from culture to culture. Each aspect is expressed uniquely and
creatively through material and non-material forms. With the uniqueness of each culture in
mind, let us consider the following questions to guide us through our study:

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es

• As a member of a society with its own unique culture, how

could you remain objective in studying other cultures?
• How do you determine the richness of a culture?

Learning Targets
In this unit, you should be able to:
● become aware of why and how cultural relativism mitigates ethnocentrism; and
● identify forms of tangible and intangible heritage and the threats to these.

Lesson 1: Ethnocentrism and Cultural

Relativism
When studying different cultures or societies, it is important to keep an open mind and to
become aware of one’s biases that might result to an invalid interpretation of other cultures.
Learning about different attitudes and dispositions towards different cultures could help in
fostering awareness regarding one’s biases about other cultures.

Starting Out

Imagine yourself traveling to a foreign country with an entirely different culture from yours. You
are walking down the street, and you see vendors selling street food, just like in the Philippines.
As you come closer, you realize that they do not sell pork barbeque and or chicken innards;
instead, they sell fried insects of different colors, sizes, and shapes. What are your initial

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thoughts? Would you try and eat their street food? Find a partner and share your thoughts with
each other.

Fig. 2. Street food

Chandra, Amy. Photography of Man and Woman Grilling Food. Accessed January 17, 2018.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/photography-of-man-and-woman-grilling-food-788954/

Learn about It!

Immersing into a new culture may be a pleasant experience or otherwise, depending on one’s
disposition towards unfamiliar cultures. In anthropology, there are two ideas referring to such
attitudes: ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.

The Concept of Ethnocentrism

Ethnocentrism is a tendency to believe that one’s culture is superior or above other cultures.
The ethnocentric view considers one’s own culture as the “center of everything,” seeing the
world only from the perspective of one’s own culture. It manifests when an individual employs
the cultural norms of the group in which he belongs in making judgments and assumptions
about other cultures. He uses his own culture’s customs, traditions, beliefs, and ideas as
references to understanding practices, rituals, traditions, and beliefs of another cultural group.
An ethnocentric individual believes that his own culture is right, more proper, more natural or
normal. When one uses his own cultural beliefs as standards in judging other cultures,
everything that is different from this standard will be considered wrong or even abnormal.

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People may have ethnocentric beliefs about one’s culture, religion, ethnicity, or social class. For
example, a person living in an urban community may perceive those in the remote rural areas
to be uncivilized due to their different clothing or lack of high-technology gadgets. This may
result to judging that specific group as the inferior one. In this scenario, the cultural standards
of urban cities were used to judge the culture of those living in rural areas.

Do you have ethnocentric beliefs towards other cultural groups? What do you think is
the reason for having such beliefs?

Having ethnocentric beliefs sometimes cannot be avoided for it is only normal for people to use
their pre-existing knowledge in interpreting new experiences. However, it is important to note
that as learners of culture, one must be aware of the beliefs that might result to biased
interpretations of other cultures. In this way, invalid judgments and assumptions about other
cultures can be avoided.

A Different Perspective: Cultural Relativism

Since ethnocentric beliefs hinder the production of an unbiased study of cultures, a new
perspective, which would help reduce biases in cultural studies, emerged. Franz Boas, a
German-American anthropologist, was among the scholars who first introduced this concept of
cultural relativism. Cultural relativism suggests that every culture is equal. According to this
concept, a specific culture should only be viewed in the context of its own cultural standards.
Every culture—its traditions, customs, practices, ideas, rituals—is relative to the framework of
that culture. Thus, it is inappropriate to impose one’s cultural standards in interpreting another
culture’s ways lest it leads to invalid and biased results.

Cultural relativism begs us to respect differences, always taking into consideration the cultural
context in which a behavior or practice belongs. By taking an insider’s perspective or an emic
perspective in studying cultural groups and their practices, one can gather a richer and more

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comprehensive understanding of the subjects at hand.

An emic perspective is commonly referred to as the “insider’s perspective” of studying

culture. It contrasts with etic perspective, a term used when a researcher uses an
outsider’s or an observer’s perspective in understanding things.

Looking back at the scenario in the earlier activity involving insects as street food, non-members
of that culture may believe that such behavior is disgusting. However, if cultural context is
considered or if an insider’s perspective is used, one may be able to grasp the true meaning of
that practice. By trying to understand how people in that culture see things, we become closer
to understanding their culture better.

As much as cultural relativism teaches us to be tolerant and respectful of cultures that are
different from ours, it is still noteworthy that the concept is not a moral position. Understanding
the perspective of the culture does not mean that you should accept nor reject the morality of
their actions. To put it simply, the morality of cultural practices being studied is a separate issue
altogether. Suppose that an anthropologist is studying a cultural practice that involves animal
massacre. Cultural relativism would help him understand the process, purpose, function and
motivation behind the practice. However, the question of whether the cultural tradition is right
or wrong is a totally detached issue and is not encompassed by cultural relativism.

Where do you draw the line between tolerating and respecting cultural traditions of
other groups and distinguishing cultural actions that may constitute violations of
human rights?

Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism provide two distinct perspectives in the study of cultures.
Ethnocentric beliefs may provide a sense of belongingness with the members of your own

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culture, due to similar beliefs and worldviews. However, it is essential to employ cultural
relativism if one wishes to fully understand cultures outside of one’s own. In cultural relativism,
neither one is civilized nor primitive, only different, but equal. Where ethnocentrism ends,
cultural relativism begins.

Fig. 3. Muslim woman wearing hijab

Kurnia, Edy. Woman Wearing Blue Hijab. Accessed January 17, 2018. https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-
wearing-blue-hijab-638484/

Part of the Islamic culture is the hijab which covers women’s bodies, from head to
toe, except their hands and faces. Outsiders often judge this practice as very
conservative and restrictive of women. However, when it is considered as part of its
cultural context, which is the Islamic culture, one will understand that the hijab fulfills
a significant purpose to their religion. Islam regards women highly, and this
translates to the hijab, which functions as protection of women’s dignity and honor.

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history
Franz Boas, a German-born American anthropologist, is considered as the father of
American and modern anthropology. During the early years of his education, he
focused on the natural sciences particularly mathematics, physics, and geography. He
decided to shift his focus to anthropology when he developed an interest in people,
their language, and culture, during an Arctic expedition. He used the methods of the
natural sciences as inspiration for new methodologies in social science research, giving
emphasis on initial research, followed by generalizations.

He is a firm believer of the study in the field, as he had done so mostly with the North
American Indians. He is known for the concept of historical particularism, which posits
that each culture is a product of their own unique history. This is a response and
critique to Lewis Morgan’s theory on social evolution, which states that every culture
follows fixed stages of evolution, leading to civilization as the last stage. Boas refuted this
idea, and he believed that every culture develops differently because of their unique
cultural experiences. With this, he was considered as one of the first to introduce the
concept of cultural relativism. He is also known for salvage ethnography, which is a
method of studying cultures, which have practices that are nearly extinct, to preserve
them even after extinction.

Check Your Understanding

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.
1. Everything that includes laws, beliefs, practices, customs and traditions of a group or
society is referred to as ____________________________________.
2. The orientation or perspective that views one’s culture as the center of everything,
using it as a standard for judging other cultures is called
__________________________________.
3. The concept or methodological position which allows social scientists to study a specific
culture without any bias is termed as __________________________________.
4. The concept which argues that each culture is a product of its own history is called
_________________________________.

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5. The German-American anthropologist who was among the first to introduce the
concept of cultural relativism was __________________________________.

B. A cultural group hunts for their main source of food. They have an active lifestyle because
of their hunting practices and they only clean themselves occasionally. This is because the
dirt in their body helps mask their scents, which makes it hard for wild animals to detect
them. If you were a cultural relativist witnessing this practice, how would react to the
scenario? Explain your answer.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

C. Interpret the scenario given in section B using the ethnocentric perspective. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of employing ethnocentrism as a perspective in interpreting
their culture? Justify your answer.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Putting Value

Reflecting on what you’ve learned, try to think of any social group or person that you have
judged based on your ethnocentric beliefs. If you were in their position, what would you have
felt? Can you think of ways to create better judgments about them using cultural relativism?
Write your answer on a piece of paper and reflect on it.

Lesson 2: Forms of Tangible and Intangible

Heritage
According to the ideas of Franz Boas, a culture is a product of the unique history it had gone
through. Thus, to understand a specific culture, one must also understand what the culture was
in the past. By studying a culture’s history, one can have insights about how its material and
non-material culture have evolved.

Starting Out

Fold a piece of paper into two. Label one column as “Material Culture,” and label the other
column as “Non-material Culture.” Under each column, list as many examples of material and
non-material cultures. Share your answers with a partner, and discuss the following questions:
● What is the importance of these examples of material and non-material culture?
● Are these examples still present in your own culture? Why or why not?
● In what way can you preserve these aspects of your culture?

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Learn about It!

The Concept of Heritage

Heritage refers to anything that is being passed down from one generation to another. It could
be related to acquiring something from birth, like how infants inherit the social status of their
parents. It could also refer to the inheritance of property, such as a father entrusting his estate
to his son. In studying culture, the concept of heritage is also very relevant.

Cultural heritage, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), “is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group
or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed
for the benefit of future generations”. Cultural heritage is a representation of a particular
group’s way of living that is passed down from one generation to another.

Can you think of examples of cultural heritage in your own culture? What do you think
is their significance?

Everything that was received from a culture’s ancestors that are still present in the culture’s
current form can be considered as part of its cultural heritage. Cultural heritage can be broken
down into two categories: tangible and intangible heritage.

Tangible Heritage

The material culture of a group is mostly what constitutes the tangible heritage of a specific
culture. Tangible heritage, as the word suggests, are material forms of cultural heritage. This
includes artifacts, historic places, monuments, buildings, or any object that is important for the

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culture. It is composed of both movable and immovable cultural heritage. Examples of movable
cultural heritage are artifacts or objects that can be easily transported, such as sculptures,
musical instruments, clothing, and tools for livelihood. Immovable cultural heritage includes
structures such as monuments, buildings, or even a whole town. In the Philippines, an example
of immovable cultural heritage is the city of Vigan. Other examples of immovable cultural
heritage include Baroque churches in the Philippines like the San Agustin Church in Manila,
Santa Maria Church in Ilocos Sur, Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, and Miagao Church in Iloilo.

Fig. 4. A Cathedral in the Philippines

Law, Nicole. Brown Cathedral. Accessed January 17, 2018. https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-cathedral-757422/

A special form of heritage which could also be considered as part of tangible heritage is natural
heritage. These sites are not merely places, but are also considered as part of a group’s culture.
Examples of natural heritage sites in the Philippines are the Tubbataha Reefs National Park in
Puerto Princesa, and the Banaue Rice Terraces in Cordillera.

Intangible Heritage

Intangible heritage represents the non-material aspect of a cultural heritage. This includes
oral tradition, performing arts, rituals, festivities, knowledge about nature, or skills in producing
traditional crafts. UNESCO states that intangible cultural heritage is, traditional, contemporary
and living at the same time (enduring despite its antiquity), inclusive (may be shared with other

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generations and other cultures to ensure continuity), representative, and community-based

(recognized by the whole community as a heritage). One example of an intangible heritage in
the Philippines is the Hudhud of the Ifugao in Banaue. The Hudhud is composed of more than
200 chants that are performed in certain events of the culture, such as harvest time, the planting
season, funeral wakes, and other rituals. There are also chants about traditional practices,
religious beliefs, ancestral heroes, customary laws, and the importance of cultivating rice.

Fig. 4. Banaue Rice Terraces

Bautista, Greggy. Batad. 2016.

Preserving Our Cultural Heritage

Heritage is a crucial part of studying culture, because it provides tools that act as guides in
retracing the steps of a culture’s history. Cultural heritage gives us an idea of a group’s way of
living in the past but also provides us with knowledge of the sources of our contemporary ways
of living. The importance of heritage is not limited to the manifestations of one culture. More
importantly, it is essential in ensuring cultural diversity and the richness of all cultures. By
learning the cultural heritage of different peoples, we become closer to understanding and
respecting not only our own culture, but also the culture of others. It is, thus, important that
everybody partakes in the preservation of all cultural heritage.

Unfortunately, there are several threats to the preservation and conservation of cultural

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heritage. While a culture may want to share its heritage to the public, this act alone could
already be a risk to the preservation of their heritage. The accessibility of such heritage to
foreign visitors could result to damage of material heritage like natural sites, old buildings,
artifacts, and even intangible heritage like cultural rituals and practices. Deterioration from
natural processes and neglect also presents a threat to preserving cultural heritage. Other risks
may include, wars, theft, destruction, pollution, and illegal trafficking of cultural property. With
all these in mind, one must partake in the constant preservation of not only one’s cultural
heritage, but those of others as well.

The Heritage Cycle, developed by Simon Thurley might aid in the preservation of one’s cultural
heritage. By following the cycle, one can pass the heritage of past generations to future
generations to come. The cycle starts from enjoying a cultural heritage, leading to
understanding it, eventually valuing it, and caring for it.

Fig. 5. The Heritage Cycle Diagram (Simon Thurley 2005)

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history
Simon Thurley is an English historian and archaeologist who has worked for the English
Heritage and the Museum of London. He was also involved in conserving and restoring royal
palaces, buildings and artifacts. Some of his restoration works include the Hampton Court and
King Privy's Garden.

His important academic works include the Heritage Cycle, a step-by-step process that seeks to
ensure the preservation of culture for the benefit of future generations.

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Apo Whang-Od is the last mambabatok of the Butbut tribe from the Buscalan Village
in Kalinga. Batok is a form of body-tattoo, which is done by tapping a thorn of a
pomelo tree on skin, using charcoal and water as ink. In the past, body tattoos in the
tribe were given to women and men, especially warriors who protected the tribe
from the enemies or outsiders. At present, the practice has been opened to tourists,
who come up to Kalinga to get themselves some tattoos.

In this situation, do you agree with the current application of the cultural practice?
Would you consider it a great way of preserving the cultural heritage? Why or why
not? Can you suggest some ways to preserve the intangible heritage in the scenario?

Check Your Understanding

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. Any aspect of way of living developed by a group that is passed down from generation to
generation is called ____________________________.
2. Objects like artifacts, buildings, monuments, and musical instruments are examples of
_______________________________.
3. Rituals, social norms, practices, performance arts, and folklore are examples of

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_______________________________.
4. A process developed by Simon Thurley suggesting ways on how to keep heritage for
future generations is called _____________________________.
5. A special form of tangible heritage that includes the environmental sites are important
to a group’s culture is called ____________________________.

B. List the similarities and differences of tangible and intangible heritage in the diagram below.

C. Reflect on the traditions of your family and culture. Are there practices that you would want
to preserve? Why is it important to preserve your culture and traditions?
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Putting Value

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Create a small artwork that represents the cultural heritage of your community that you are
most proud of. After this, reflect and think of reasons for liking it. Also, suggest ways on how to
preserve that cultural heritage.

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Real-world Challenge
Group yourselves into 4-5 members. Read the GRASPS situation below and perform the
following tasks. Make sure to read the rubrics for the activity.

Goal:
• Your task is to create an advocacy campaign with your groupmates
for a chosen cultural heritage.
• The goal is to inform your classmates about the cultural heritage
your group have chosen.
• The problem/challenge is to make them appreciate the culture and
to create awareness of ways to preserve the cultural heritage.

Role:
• You are a tourist guide.
• You have been asked to introduce a unique aspect of your culture
to foreigners.

Audience:
• The target audience is your classmates and your teacher.

Situation:
• The context you find yourself in is a museum, which tourists visit to
discover the culture of your community.

Product/Performance and Purpose:

• You will create a short presentation to create interest among your
audience about your cultural heritage.
• You need to develop activities to allow them to further appreciate
what you are presenting.

Standards & Criteria for Success:

• Your work will be judged by the following standards on the next
page.

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Criteria Beginning Developing Accomplished Score

(17-20 points)
(0-12 points) (13-16 points)

Content
Pr

(Focus on details are clearly

evident; it is clearly related to
the topic.)

Organization
(Logical progression of details;
clear transitions between
ideas.

Conventions
(spelling, mechanics, grammar
and usage)

Creativity
Ta

(shows resourcefulness in
presentation and activities)

Audience Impact
(interesting presentation to
get the attention of students)

Team Work
(contributions from all
members to the fruition of the
work)

Total Score:

Society and I: Self-Check

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Check I can…

Explain the meaning of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.

Explain the importance of cultural relativism in studying culture.

Differentiate between tangible and intangible heritage.

Apply what I learned to my personal experiences.

Reflect

I find __________________________ the most interesting because ______________________.

I got ____ checks because _______________________________________________________.
I need to improve on _______________________because _____________________________.
I need to practice _________________________ because _____________________________.
I plan to _____________________________________________________________________ .

Wrap Up
● There are two orientations in viewing culture: Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism.
● Cultural relativism serves as a remedy for the effects of ethnocentrism that may produce
biased assumptions towards other cultures. Through cultural relativism, it is possible for
those who study culture to provide an unbiased interpretation of the subject being
studied.
● The richness of a culture depends on its cultural heritage.
● The two types of cultural heritage are tangible and intangible heritage.
● Certain measures must be done to protect cultural heritage from dangers and risk to its

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preservation.

Ethnocentrism and Cultural

Relativism

Ethnocentrism Forms of Tangible

and Cultural and Intangible
Relativism Heritage

Tangible Heritage:
The Concept of Movable,
Ethnocentrism Immovable, and
Natural Heritage

A Different
Perspective: Intangible Heritage
Cultural Relativism

Preserving Heritage

Bibliography

“Boasian Anthropology: Historical Particularism and Cultural Relativism.” Theory +Anthropology.

Accessed January 15, 2018.
http://anthrotheory.pbworks.com/w/page/29518607/Boasian%20Anthropology%3A%20
Historical%20Particularism%20and%20Cultural%20Relativism#CulturalRelativism

“Culture and Biology”. Lumen. Accessed January 16, 2018.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/culture-and-society/

“Franz Boas”. NNDB Accessed January 17, 2018. www.nndb.com/people/861/000097570

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Kottak, Conrad Philip. 2011. Cultural Anthropology: Appreciating Cultural Diversity. 14th Ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill.

Kottak, Conrad Philip. 2011. Anthropology. 12th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Sumner, William Graham. 1907. Folkways: A Study of Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners,
Customs, Mores, and Morals. Boston: Ginn & Company.

Stacey, Aisha. 2013. “Dress Code of Muslim Women”. Islamic Information Portal. Accessed
January 17, 2018. http://islam.ru/en/content/story/dress-code-muslim-women

“Tangible Cultural Heritage”. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Accessed January 17, 2018. www.unesco.org/new/en/cairo/culture/tangible-cultural-
heritage/

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Accessed January 17, 2018. https://ich.unesco.org

“What is Cultural Heritage”. Culture in Development. Accessed January 17, 2018.

www.cultureindevelopment.nl/cultural_heritage/what_is_cultural_heritage

“What is Cultural Heritage”. Khan Academy. Accessed January 17, 2018.

http://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history-basics/beginners-art-
history/a/what-is-cultural-heritage

Answers to Check Your Understanding

Lesson 1: Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
Part A.
1. Culture
2. Ethnocentrism
3. Cultural relativism
4. Historical particularism
5. Franz Boas

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Lesson 2: Forms of Tangible and Intangible Heritage

Part A
1. Cultural heritage
2. Tangible heritage
3. Intangible heritage
4. Heritage Cycle
5. Natural heritage

Glossary
Cultural Heritage – “the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or
society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for
the benefit of future generations” (UNESCO)
Cultural Relativism – an orientation which views that every culture is equal and that a culture
can only be judged based on its own cultural standards
Emic Perspective – a perspective in research which uses an “insider’s perspective” in studying
behavior and cultural practices
Ethnocentrism – the tendency to view one’s culture as center of everything and using one’s
own cultural standards to make assumptions about cultures of others
Etic Perspective – an approach commonly known as the “observer’s perspective” in studying
a particular phenomenon or subject
Heritage Cycle – a diagram developed by Simon Thurley composed of steps that aim to
include the heritage from the past into the future generations to come
Historical Particularism – an idea of Franz Boas which states that every culture is a product
of its unique history and experiences
Intangible Heritage – a form of cultural heritage which has no material dimension; examples
of intangible heritage are folklore, rituals, social practices, and customs
Salvage Ethnography – a form of research which aims to record cultures of groups to
preserve their culture even after extinction of the group itself
Tangible Heritage – objects that are part of a culture which were passed on from one
generation to another; a concrete and physical heritage of a culture

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