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Disadvantages Of Ethnocentrism

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Ethnocentrism is one of the leading causes of divisions amongst members of different ethnicities, races and religious groups in society. The word “Ethnocentrism” originates from the Greek word “ethnos” meaning “nation” or “people” and the English word “centre”. The term was coined by William Graham Sumner, a social evolutionist and professor, who defined it as the viewpoint that “one’s own group is the centre of everything”, against which all other groups are judged [1].
Although ethnic distinctions and divisions are only to provide a unique identity, it has led to racism and prejudice among people. While most of us may recognize these problems, we may not realise that ethnocentrism occurs everywhere and everyday. For example, the United States has always thought of itself as more powerful, economically strong and generally ‘better’ than other nations. This is seen whenever the U.S interferes in situations pertaining to other countries, especially the Middle East. Also, one of the most heinous examples of ethnocentrism to over occur was during the Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler decided that he loathed the Jews and some other groups of people and had them slaughtered in concentration camps [2]. Before moving on, we have to understand that ethnocentrism is not always …show more content…

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