The European Union's Broader Neighbourhood: Challenges and Opportunities for Cooperation Beyond the European Neighbourhood Policy by Sieglinde Gstohl & Erwan Lannon

Author:Sieglinde Gstohl & Erwan Lannon [Gstohl, Sieglinde & Lannon, Erwan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138716803
Google: axCEvgAACAAJ
Goodreads: 32913219
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2015-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

Ethnocentricism vs. cultural relativism

A study of gender issues in different regions has to be aware of two connected dangers. First, the study should not be ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism is the tendency of societies to put their own cultures at the centre and to consider these to be superior to other cultural practices.2 Postcolonial feminists warn ‘white’ Western feminists of repeating what men have so often done: namely to write (his)story/ies from their perspective. Postcolonial feminism is a critique of Western depictions of ‘Third World’ women as pitiable, un- or undereducated, victimized and passive bystanders (Tickner and Sjoberg 2007: 192). Hence, accounts on gender in differing regions should be aware of evaluation from an ethnocentric, standardized perspective.

Second, the study should also avoid cultural relativism, which is a method by which diverse cultures or societies are evaluated without applying the values and norms of one’s own culture to judge and evaluate, on the principle that cultures can only be appreciated when they are studied in terms of their own values and norms. Cultural relativism refers to the idea that purpose and significance of any social characteristic is relative to its own cultural background.3 However, cultural relativism could include other dangers, such as accepting a lower, subordinated position by claiming that this is the ‘maximum’ to be reached for women in this or that region. Here the danger of discrimination and belittling become clear.

To avoid ethnocentrism some go as far as to doubt whether the attempt to improve gender equality on a global basis is an ‘unnecessary interference from Western do-gooders, and is tantamount to cultural imperialism’ (Constanza 2011). Relativist arguments, such as those that women appear to be oppressed according to Western values, but not by ‘their own’ values, can then be put forward. However, this view disregards that gender roles constantly assign women oppressed positions and men dominating powers and thus restrain women’s choices. Cultural relativism and its consequences can even imply that varying ideals ought to be applied to varying groups, depending on their regions. This then would mean that the rights that women in the West enjoy need not be spread to women elsewhere, due to their specific cultures. Consequently, this would mean that women in some places are being denied the rights that women in other places take for granted (ibid.).

Feminism appreciates differing ways of viewing the world and sees multiple layers of identities. As gender is entangled with other identities such as ethnicity, class and nationality, feminists triumph over the dichotomy between cultural relativism and universalism and unite individuals’ experiences with broader regional and global structures or processes (Hudson 2005: 158). Feminism is thus the way to overcome ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.

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