Answer to Question #187592 in Sociology for Fareed Husein

Question

Provide two examples to illustrate the positive and negative consequences of ethnocentrism for group life

Answer 1

Ethnocentrism is a two-edged sword that bears both positive and negative consequences for group life. For instance, it is safe to say that stereotypes can sometimes be true but they can also be dangerous. This kind of petty-thinking sees other cultures as evil, backward, or wrong. Besides, on the positive consequence, in the history of Western Civilization, the colonization of the world, the triumphing of the arts and humanities during the Renaissance, all served to fortify the culture of the West.