Week 1: What is sociology? Flashcards
What is Ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism is judging another culture by the standards of one’s own. This is a natural tendency: we all take our own way of doing things for granted as the best or right way. The downside of ethnocentrism is that it can generate misunderstanding and sometimes conflict.
What is Cultural relativism?
Cultural relativism, or judging a culture by its own standards, is an alternative to ethnocentrism. This theory is good up to a point, but it implies that all behaviours are acceptable.
What is sociological imagination?
The ability to see things socially, and to see how they interact and influence each other. To have a sociological imagination, a person must be able to pull away from the situation and think from an alternative point of view. Social facts are social processes that are rooted in society rather than in the individual.
