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Ethnocentrism In Canada Essay

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Canada is a multicultural country. As a lot of people have immigrated to Canada from different parts of the world, they brought some cultural elements of their native culture along with them. These cultural elements have been blended into the mainstream culture of Canada.
With so much diverse population, it is natural that people will be ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism is defined as the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture (Macionis, Jansson & Benoit, 2013, p. 51). As Canada is a culturally diverse country, there are many ethnic groups in Canada. Ethnocentrism, to some extent, is good in a sense that it inculcates a sense of community in individuals. People from same cultural background believe that they are united and that they are valued. It creates an awareness about other cultures while we compare other cultures with our own culture and closely observe the differences. This would help people to be more sensitive and respectful of other cultures and their values and thus creating a positive functioning. People of same community help one another. This …show more content…

51). It hinders proper understanding of different cultures and societies. It can cause frustration and restlessness. The major drawback of excessive ethnocentrism is that it causes extinction of some cultures which are considered as inferior by some cultures. Excessive ethnocentrism has posed a threat to Canada's indigenous culture. "As a result of colonialism, Aboriginal people have suffered from devastating effects of historical and cultural genocide and intergenerational trauma. In Canada, Aboriginal people experience a disproportionately higher amount of mental health issues compared to other groups" (Bowden, Caine & Yohani, 2017, p. 41). Residential schools were built to vanish their indigenous culture. It is the main root of

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