What does ethnocentricity mean?
Ethnocentricity is the tendency to treat one's own ethnic, national, or cultural group as the default standard and to assess other groups through that lens. It can influence how people interpret history, art, language, religion, social customs, and individual behavior. Such judgments may range from an unconscious preference for familiar ways of life to explicit assertions that another group is inferior. The word is commonly used in academic and public discussion when examining prejudice, unequal representation, nationalism, and cultural misunderstanding. Ethnocentricity is distinct from prejudice in general: prejudice concerns unfair or negative attitudes toward a person or group, while ethnocentricity specifically concerns the assumption that one culture is the norm or benchmark. Because ethnocentric judgments can appear in institutions as well as individuals, the term is also used when discussing curricula, museums, media, and international relations. Even when no deliberate hostility is present, recognizing ethnocentricity can reveal how apparently neutral standards may reflect a limited cultural perspective.
nounThe tendency to view one's own ethnic or cultural group as the norm and to judge other groups by its standards, often regarding it as superior. It may refer to a general outlook or to particular beliefs and behaviors expressing that outlook.
- The tendency to regard one's own ethnic or cultural group as the standard by which other groups should be judged, often with an assumption of its superiority.
"Her travels abroad challenged her ethnocentricity and gave her a deeper appreciation of cultural differences."
"The curator sought to remove ethnocentricity from the exhibition's treatment of non-Western art."
"Travel and sustained contact with other societies can expose and weaken ethnocentricity."
The plural is uncommon but standard when referring to distinct manifestations of ethnocentric thinking.
"The course examined how ethnocentricities in museums and textbooks shape public perceptions of other cultures."
Ethnocentricity turns a map of the world into a portrait of one's own people.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ethnocentricity come from?
Ethnocentricity is an English noun formed in the 19th century from ethnocentric, with the suffix -ity added to create a noun of quality or state. Its elements combine Greek ethnē, meaning “nation” or “people,” with the English combining form -centric, meaning “having a center,” and thus associated with placing something at the center of attention or value. The word belongs to a family including ethnography, ethnology, and ethnolinguistics, all of which use the same Greek-derived ethn- element in the study or description of peoples and cultures.
Related word forms
How ethnocentricity is actually used
This is primarily a formal term used in academic, historical, political, and cultural discussion. It is usually an abstract noun; the plural is occasional and refers to distinct manifestations of ethnocentric thinking. There is no substantial regional difference in usage.
Easily confused with ethnocentricity
Ethnocentricity is the quality or tendency of being ethnocentric, whereas ethnocentrism usually denotes the practice, doctrine, or attitude of judging other cultures by one's own.