By Marianne Hatley
Ethnocentrism is how people evaluate other cultures by comparing them to their own cultures. In Western civilizations, people tend to see ethnic cultures as inferior to them. One example I think of when it comes to ethnocentrism is French culture. Although France is such a diverse and populated country especially in Paris, according to the French, there is only one type of French culture and people. It is implied that only the white population is the true French population. This ideology has materialized through the rise of right-wing politicians and nationalism in France. Marine le Pen is one of these French nationalists gaining traction for her controversial views like opposing immigration, insisting thatFrance is only for the French, and denying that France had any involvement in the Holocaust. Her father, another popular right-wing politician in France, previously made anti-semitic remarks regarding the Holocaust.
You may already be aware of, in Africa, there are the countries of South Sudan and Sudan. As their names suggest, South Sudan and Sudan used to just be one country. After its independence in 2011, South Sudan became one of the youngest nations in the world. This independence came as a result of the conflict between Northern Sudan and Southern Sudan when it was a single country. The main cause of this conflict was ethnocentrism. For example, the Northern region of former Sudan was a majority Muslim population while most of the southern region of Sudan followed Christianity or traditional religions. Even after the succession of South Sudan from Sudan, there continues to be a conflict with the countries breaking into a civil war between the Dinkas and other non-Dinka tribes. However, this conflict has ended up becoming ethnic cleansing of non-Dinkas. The tensions, wars, and genocide are the outcomes of the ethnocentric view. Ethnocentric views create fear of the “other” and causes one to see other cultures apart from their own to be a danger to their lifestyle. This is why we have wars, religious tensions, racism, homophobia, and political conflicts in many societies especially in the U.S. It may be difficult at first, but if we try to understand cultures and points of view apart from our own, we can create harmony while accepting our differences.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (n.d.). South Sudan Ethnic Conflict and Civil War. United States holocaust memorial museum. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/countries/south-sudan/case-study
Sudan. Sudan | Country Page | World | Human Rights Watch. (2022, April 28). Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.hrw.org/africa/sudan