Final answer:
Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one's own culture, often leading to biased judgments against other cultures. Cultural relativism encourages the understanding and appreciation of different cultures without placing them in a hierarchical order. The two represent contrasting views on cultural interaction and appreciation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Contrast between Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to all others. It is an evaluation and judgment of another culture based on how it compares to one's own cultural norms, which can sometimes lead to misunderstanding or a lack of appreciation for the richness of other cultures. A well-known sociologist, William Graham Sumner, described ethnocentrism as a view wherein people believe their culture's practices and beliefs are superior to those of other cultures. For instance, Americans might say that people from England drive on the "wrong" side of the road or find it odd seeing a dog as a pet in a French restaurant, these are signs of an ethnocentric viewpoint.
Cultural relativism, on the other hand, is the understanding that there are different cultures with their own ways of behaving, thinking, and feeling. It acknowledges that these differences are learned from the previous generation, and does not place one culture above another. When someone practices cultural relativism, they may encounter difficulty in reconciling aspects of their own culture with aspects of the culture they are studying. Cultural relativism promotes the idea that we should understand other cultures on their own terms rather than judging them by the standards of our own.
While both concepts involve how individuals perceive and interact with cultures different from their own, they represent opposite ends of the spectrum. Ethnocentrism leads to a belief in cultural superiority, while cultural relativism promotes understanding and equality among different cultures.