The counterpart of stereotyping is ethnocentrism, which is similarly widespread.
One’s own group is the centre of the universe. Belief systems and worldviews
are ethnocentric in that they explain everything from the point of view of one’s
group and give every event symbolic meaning with reference to it. The idea of
the ‘chosen people’ is an extreme form of ethnocentrism, implying that others,
because of whatever deficit they may suffer from, were not chosen. We find
ethnocentric attitudes of variable intensity in groups of every size, including
highly complex societies, where they may become indistinguishable from
nationalism. In Japan, for instance, the belief in physical and cultural
homogeneity and uniqueness is widespread, as is a sense of superiority in China.
A challenge to pluralistic societies
Because ethnocentrism implies a claim to the right to follow one’s own rules and
conventions, it poses a challenge to modern pluralistic societies committed to a
democratic ethos of equality. Western societies have learnt that the melting pot
ideology does not go down well with many who insist on having their own
ethnic identity, no matter where. A geographic habitat once was part of the
ethnographer’s concept of ethnic identity, even with regard to nomads.
Nowadays, heritage cultivation has replaced attachment to one’s ancestral
homeland, and, accordingly, one can assert one’s Sicilian identity in New York,
partake in Vietnamese identity in Paris, enjoy Turkish identity in Berlin, and
attend the annual Samba festival in Kobe (Figure 6).