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Understanding Culture, Society and Politics: Quarter 1 - Module 3: Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism
Understanding Culture, Society and Politics: Quarter 1 - Module 3: Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism
General Direction: Read the following items carefully. Write the letter that
corresponds to your answer on a separate sheet of paper.
For numbers 6-7, classify the following practices as right or wrong. Write letter A if it
is right, and letter B if it is wrong.
6. Arranged marriage
7. Polygamy or the practice of having multiple wives
For numbers 8-15, choose the best answer for each item. Write down the letter of
your choice.
8. The attitude that other societies’ customs and traditions and ideas should be
judged in the context of one’s own culture is known as ______________________.
a. Cultural relativism b. Imperialism c. Colonialism d.
Ethnocentrism
9. People around the world should learn from the ill effects of the belief that one’s
culture is better than others. Which of the following is NOT an example of it?
a. The Holocaust happened when Adolf Hitler ordered the mass murdering
of the Jews.
b. Global warming is now happening and people from more developed and
industrialized countries are more liable than people from underdeveloped
countries.
c. Slave trade happened when black African people were sold in Europe and
the Americas to serve as slaves.
d. Hate crimes happen when people are killed because of their religious
beliefs and practices.
10. What is the most important lesson we could get from studying cultural
relativism
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a. It is difficult or impossible to force your own religious beliefs onto
another group.
b. People tend to be more tolerant of another culture’s customs when
they understand and learn the meaning behind them.
c. Something that is not good or prohibited in your own society might be
good and perfectly acceptable in another society.
d. When studying another culture, you must first convert to its
religious beliefs for better understanding.
11. .Which of these is an example of ethnocentrism?
a. A father is angry with his son for not doing his homework.
b. A westernized woman is looking down on a tribal woman for not
wearing any clothes.
c. A mother refuses to pay her daughter’s prom gown.
d. A girl bullies her classmate for being clumsy.
12. Having more than one wife is not bad from a Muslim point of view. In
relation, people must see this custom within the context of Muslims’
problems and opportunities. What kind of view is illustrated here?
a. Ethnocentrism
b. Cultural relativism
c. Barbarism
d. Egocentrism
13. Which of the following is NOT a true statement about cultural relativism?
a. It requires us to abandon the values of our own culture.
b. It makes it possible for us to explain how culture makes its people
behave.
c. It requires people to consider many factors before they draw
conclusions on other people’s cultural practices.
d. It unites us as one and make us even more proud of our own culture.
14.You are an overseas Filipino worker who went to Japan for the first time.
During the first few days of your stay, you are disoriented and frustrated
due to your exposure to a very strange culture. What does this situation
signify?
a. Cultural diversity c. Culture Shock
b. Cultural relativism d. Fear of Culture
15.The Kwakintl Indians of North America lack electricity supply, and they
seem to have a less fulfilling life. The Bushmen of the Kalchari are non-
literate and they appear less intelligent. Relatively, you view your own
culture as superior to them.
What do the statements above explain?
a. Ethnocentrism b. Cultural relativism
C. Structural formalism
What’s In
Before we proceed, let us go back with some of the important concepts about
culture, which is the focus of our discussion.
According to E.B. Taylor; culture is a “complex whole,” which encompasses
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beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artefacts’, symbols, knowledge,
and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of a society.
Likewise, a society is understood or sometimes judged based on their culture.
What comprises a culture? Let us refresh our mind by answering the matching type
test below.
Source: Wikimedia Commons. From Popular Science Monthly 26 (1884):
145. Public Domain.
Check your answers and make sure you are very familiar with the key terms
listed before we start another lesson.
What’s New
Am I Different?
Fill in “‘Me’ and My Culture” table by describing how you behave and practice
your own culture under similar circumstances.
And so I am Different
2. Are their respective cultures the same as your own culture? In what ways
are they similar and in what ways do they differ?
3. Do you think that the cultures of these groups are bad? Why or why not?
4. Can we consider some of their cultural practices as right or wrong?
Explain.
5. Which of the two sets of cultures is the best, their cultures or your own
culture? Why?
6. If one culture behaves in a particular act, does it mean that all cultures
can behave the same way? Discuss further.
What is It
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In this part of your journey, we provide something for you to deepen your
understanding about culture.
What is Ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism is a belief that one’s own culture is better than others. They
tend to compare, evaluate, and even judge other people’s ways based on the values
and standards set in one’s own culture. Their worldview is based on the beliefs,
assumptions, expectations, and values shaped by one’s language, behavior,
customs, values, religions and other aspects.
Due to ethnocentric beliefs, many people are blinded from seeing things in
another perspective. Ethnocentric people tend to dislike or make false judgment on
other cultures. They tend becoming biased and judge another culture as bad and
wrong.
Even though we deny it, most of us are ethnocentric at some point in our lives.
Some do not even realize that they are being ethnocentric at that moment. Below
are some of the examples of ethnocentrism:
a. The American society sees themselves as a world leader. As a result, they
interfere in the political affairs of other countries and try to control them,
leading to misunderstanding and miscommunication amongst nations
which sometimes result to war.
b. During the time of Adolf Hitler, Germans believed that they are a superior
race. This led to the death of 6 million Jews whom they considered as an
inferior race.
c. European countries go beyond their ethnocentric biases and saw non-
European cultures as uncivilized and underdeveloped countries of
savages and barbarians. They used this perspective to justify colonialism
and imperialism.
d. Cases of hate crimes and terrorism violence can usually be traced back
to religious conflicts and misunderstandings.
Cultural Relativism as the Opposite View
Activity 1
In this activity, you will be asked to conduct a simple case study examining
the culture of other people that is somehow different from yours. If you are an
Ilocano, the subject of your study could be people who identify themselves as
Tagalog, Bisaya, Bicolano, or other ethnicity. If you know someone who belongs to
an indigenous group of people, it is much better to have them as subjects. Since
you are not allowed to go out at present because of the threat of COVID-19
pandemic, look for someone who is near to your place or whom you have contact
with through social media.
Be guided with the following questions as you write your case study:
1. Describe the group of people that you chose. Who are they? What
do they do? Where did they come from? What do you know about
them?
2. Discuss their way of life in terms of:
a. Social organizations
b. Language
c. Religion
d. Arts and literature
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e. Economic systems
f. Values, beliefs and traditions
3. Summarize what you have learned using the 3-2-1 chart below:
3 Things I learned from them
2 Things I found interesting
1 Thing I realize
Activity 2
Give some concrete instances when unity exists even though there are differences
happening among people.
Unity in Diversity:
Pagkakaisa sa kabila ng pagkakaiba-iba
Activity 3
Create a slogan that promotes respect and tolerance towards other cultures all over
the world.
“T-M-L Phrase
It Matters because
___________________________________________________________________________
What I Can Do
#i-beg to Disagree because
State your reason why you beg to disagree to the given statements below. You have
to remember that you are a CULTURAL RELATIVIST; you have to place yourself in
the shoes of these people in order to understand them better. Culture is not good
or bad, neither it is right or wrong, but instead it is relative.
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1. One society can call another society as evil such as those nations where
terrorist live. These places are also called an “axis of evil”.
________________________________________________________________
2. Western culture is superior and opposite of non-Western culture.
________________________________________________________________
4. The Mangyan tribe of Mindoro are backwards people because they are
uneducated.
_________________________________________________________________
Assessment
Read the following items carefully. Write the letter that corresponds to your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.
For numbers 11-12, classify the following practices as either good or bad based on
the point of view of the community mentioned. Write letter A if it is good and letter
B if it is bad.
11.Women in certain Muslim and Hindu societies follow the Purdah practice
of dressing, in all enveloping clothes, to stay out of sight to men and
strangers.
12.Cannibalism is the practice of eating human flesh by groups of people
from different parts of the world.
For numbers 13-15, choose the best answer for each item. Write down the letter of
your choice.
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13.The attitude that other societies’ customs and traditions and ideas
should be judged in the context of one’s own culture is known as
______________________.
a. Imperialism b. Cultural relativism c. Ethnocentrism d. Colonialism
14. What is the most appropriate lesson we could get from studying cultural
relativism?
a. It is difficult or impossible to force your own religious beliefs onto
another group’s own.
b. People tend to be more tolerant of another culture’s customs when
they understand and learn the meaning behind them.
c. Something that is not good or prohibited in your own society might be
good and perfectly acceptable in another society.
d. When studying another culture, you must first convert to its religious
beliefs for better understanding.
15. People around the world should learn from the ill effects of the belief that
one’s culture is better than others. Which of the following is NOT an example
of it?
a. The Holocaust happened when Adolf Hitler ordered the mass
murdering of the Jews.
b. Global warming is now happening and people from more developed
and industrialized countries are more liable than people from
underdeveloped countries.
c. Slave trade happened when black African people were sold in Europe
and the Americas to serve as slaves.
d. Hate crimes happens when people are being killed because of their
religious beliefs and practices.
Additional Activities
#i-speak
You are invited as a guest speaker for a certain event where the participants
come from different places of different cultures. The topic assigned to you is
religious beliefs and practices. Your task is to make a speech which you are going
to deliver on the said affair. It should be composed of at least 3-4 paragraphs,
whereas you are comparing your religious beliefs and practices with the
participants’ own without being biased.
_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________.
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Answer Key
Assessment What's In
1. B 1. G
2. B 2. F
3. A 3. E
4. C 4. A
5. B 5. D
6. A 6. C
7. B 7. B
8. A
9. B
10.A
11.A
12.A
13.A
14.C
What I Know
1. A
2. A
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. A
7. A
8. D
9. B
10.B
11.B
12.B
13.A
14.C
15.A
What I Can Do
#i-beg to Disagree because
State your reason why you beg to disagree to the given statements below. You have
to remember that you are a CULTURAL RELATIVIST; you have to place yourself in
the shoes of these people in order to understand them better. Culture is not good
or bad, neither it is right or wrong, but instead it is relative.
8. One society can call another society as evil such as those nations where
terrorist live. These places are also called an “axis of evil”.
________________________________________________________________
9. Western culture is superior and opposite of non-Western culture.
________________________________________________________________
11.The Mangyan tribe of Mindoro are backwards people because they are
uneducated.
_________________________________________________________________
12.We have to avoid going to places like Siquijor and Capiz because
monsters called Aswang infest these places.
_________________________________________________________________
Assessment
Read the following items carefully. Write the letter that corresponds to your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.
For numbers 11-12, classify the following practices as either good or bad based on
the point of view of the community mentioned. Write letter A if it is good and letter
B if it is bad.
19.Women in certain Muslim and Hindu societies follow the Purdah practice
of dressing, in all enveloping clothes, to stay out of sight to men and
strangers.
20.Cannibalism is the practice of eating human flesh by groups of people
from different parts of the world.
For numbers 13-15, choose the best answer for each item. Write down the letter of
your choice.
21.The attitude that other societies’ customs and traditions and ideas
should be judged in the context of one’s own culture is known as
______________________.
a. Imperialism b. Cultural relativism c. Ethnocentrism d. Colonialism
14. What is the most appropriate lesson we could get from studying cultural
relativism?
e. It is difficult or impossible to force your own religious beliefs onto
another group’s own.
f. People tend to be more tolerant of another culture’s customs when
they understand and learn the meaning behind them.
g. Something that is not good or prohibited in your own society might be
good and perfectly acceptable in another society.
h. When studying another culture, you must first convert to its religious
beliefs for better understanding.
15. People around the world should learn from the ill effects of the belief that
one’s culture is better than others. Which of the following is NOT an example
of it?
e. The Holocaust happened when Adolf Hitler ordered the mass
murdering of the Jews.
f. Global warming is now happening and people from more developed
and industrialized countries are more liable than people from
underdeveloped countries.
g. Slave trade happened when black African people were sold in Europe
and the Americas to serve as slaves.
h. Hate crimes happens when people are being killed because of their
religious beliefs and practices.
Additional Activities
#i-speak
You are invited as a guest speaker for a certain event where the participants
come from different places of different cultures. The topic assigned to you is
religious beliefs and practices. Your task is to make a speech which you are going
to deliver on the said affair. It should be composed of at least 3-4 paragraphs,
whereas you are comparing your religious beliefs and practices with the
participants’ own without being biased.
Assessment What's In
15.B 8. G
16.B 9. F
17.A 10.E
18.C 11.A
19.B 12.D
20.A 13.C
21.B 14.B
22.A
23.B
24.A
25.A
26.A
27.A
28.C
What I Know
16. A
17.A
18.B
19.A
20.B
21.A
22.A
23.D
24.B
25.B
26.B
27.B
28.A
29.C
30.A
Assessment What's In What I Know
1. B 1. G 1. A
2. B 2. F 2. A
3. A 3. E 3. B
4. C 4. A 4. A
5. B 5. D 5. B
6. A 6. C 6. A
7. B 7. B 7. A
8. A 8. D
9. B 9. B
10.A 10.B
11.A 11.B
12.A 12.B
13.A 13.A
14.C 14.C
15. B 15. A