Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two fundamental concepts used in appraising the legitimacy of culture. Ethnocentrism is a concept that asks individuals to look at the world from the perspective of their culture. The opposite of ethnocentrism is cultural relativism. In this case, people attempt to understand the world from the perspective of another person’s culture. Based on the two concepts, individuals can appreciate and distinguish one culture from the other by applying insider and outsider perspectives. Thus, using the two lenses, it is possible to compare and contrast two cultural points of view, such as The Catholic Church and the Nacirema.
The fundamental concept underlying the Nacirema system asserts that the human body is ugly and has a conventional inclination towards diseases and debility. Therefore, through rituals and ceremonies, the human hopes to avert these attributes (Miner, 1956). The basic concept of the Catholic Church is the belief in the Holy Trinity, which includes God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Retolaza, Aguado, & Alcaniz, 2019). From an ethnocentric point of view, a Catholic would dispute Nacirema’s assertion that the human body is ugly and replace the thought by the Bible’s words, which say that humans are created in the image and likeness of God.
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The Nacirema tradition is deeply entrenched in the use of rituals as a way of connecting with their God. Each person has shrines in their house, and the number of shrines owned by a person depends on their societal status (Miner, 1956). The shrines and rituals are secret and only discussed to children at the right time. The Catholic Church also performs rituals in tandem with Jesus’ breaking of the bread before his eventual death. During a mass celebration, the Catholic priest must perform the ritual of breaking bread and drinking wine as symbols to represent the body and blood of Christ. From a cultural relativism point of view, a Catholic would understand the meaning of rituals as performed by the Nacirema.
The Nacirema have a complex conceptualization of the role of mothers in society. Although the mothers have an obligation of acting as parents, they are notorious for bewitching their children (Miner, 1956). From their ethnocentric point of view, mothers can put a curse on their child especially while teaching them rituals. However, the Catholic Church does not share the same sentiments. First, children are regarded as a gift from God and parents are essential custodians in the life of a child. Their role primarily focuses on taking care of their children and ensuring that they remain as closer to God as possible.
Both traditions believe in religious ceremonies, which have an essential marking in the lives of the people. From a cultural relativism point of view, a Catholic member is likely to understand and appreciate the essence of the religious practices that go on among the Nacirema. Similarly, a Nacirema would appreciate the religious ceremonies practiced in Catholicism, such as the Ash Wednesday, Easter, Resurrection of Christ, and Lent among others (Hornsby-Smith, 2006). From the two societies’ perspective, ceremonies have a special meaning and should thereby be fully practiced in the full realization of the significance.
In conclusion, ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are two fundamental concepts that would assist a person to appraise a culture from the insider and outsider perspectives. The Catholic Church and the Nacirema have certain values, norms, and practices that resemble and differ in various ways. However, the bottom line is that culture differs across the societal spectrum and what individual practices might or might not make sense to an outsider. From an ethnocentric point of view, a Catholic would fail to appreciate a Nacirema’s cultural practice. However, from a cultural relativism stance, the opposite would happen.
References
Hornsby-Smith, M. P. (2006). An Introduction to Catholic Social Thought. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=178893&site=eds-live
Miner, H. (1956). Body ritual among the Nacirema. American anthropologist, 58(3), 503-507.
Retolaza, J. L., Aguado, R., & Alcaniz, L. (2019). Stakeholder Theory Through the Lenses of Catholic Social Thought. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(4), 969–980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3963-6
