It is commonplace these days for those with axes to grind to hijack the organs of professional associations with diatribes on pet issues. When the American Psychological Association bestowed one of its most prestigious awards recently, the recipient launched into vitriol about past and continuing mistreatment of minorities to a degree that moved…

The statement in the title, what if Indigenous Knowledge contradicts accepted scientific findings (Fowler, 2000), is an expression of the dilemma people who research Indigenous Knowledge think they find themselves in when they are confronted with different interpretations of what it means to be human, or, as I may summarize it, with different…

Ethnocentric concepts, theories and practices in education, predominantly embedded in western philosophy and values, tend to ignore the growing multicultural nature of educational institutions. This article draws attention to the knowledge gap in mainstream literature regarding diverse perspectives of educational leadership--an issue which is…

Ethnocentrism is a nearly universal syndrome of attitudes and behaviors, typically including in-group favoritism. Empirical evidence suggests that a predisposition to favor in-groups can be easily triggered by even arbitrary group distinctions and that preferential cooperation within groups occurs even when it is individually costly. The authors…

Culture shock is discussed as it affects Americans who travel extensively abroad. Culture shock can lead to total withdrawal from the new culture or to increased awareness, personal growth, and the development of new cross cultural skills. Communication problems contribute to culture shock in the form of language barriers, nonverbal…

An outline of a one week inquiry unit for junior high grades designed to be an introduction to the study of race relations in America. (EH)

In this paper, various studies and surveys on the status of East Indians in Canada and attitudes towards them are summarized. The history of the East Indian immigration into Canada is sketched. A 1976 survey of attitudes of Canadians toward multiculturalism (Berry, Kalin, and Taylor, 1976) is outlined. A study of the intercultural perceptions of…

Presents a plan for a lesson designed to introduce a unit on Indian history. Focuses on ethnocentrism and assimilation and how these concepts apply to the situations of Indians as revealed in several quotations. Provides a list of some quotations and suggested activities. (AEM)

Examination of the social science knowledge base relative to Afro-Americans indicates that the social sciences traditionally have attempted to understand the life experiences of socially diverse groups through a narrow cultro/ethnocentric perspective and against an equally narrow standard. (Author/GC)

Presents results of a content analysis of 14 textbooks in graduate education in psychology to determine harmful or erroneous representations of any culture. Presents literary guidelines designed to present alternatives for nonethnocentric writing and offset language bias. (JAC)

Questions the importance of English as a major international language in the coming years. (RL)

Reexamines geographic thought regarding ethnocentrism as expressed in the writings including Ellen Churchill Semple, Hendrick Willem Van Loon, Ellsworth Huntington, Roswell C. Smith, J. Olney, Henry Thomas Buckle, Georg Friedrich Hegel, Johann Gottfried Von Herder, Charles de Montesquieu, Ibn Khaldun, and Hippocrates. (DB)

Discusses the claim that attitudes determine the way a foreign language is acquired v the claim that the exact opposite relationship exists. Concludes that the motivational hypothesis does not fully account for the relationship between attitude and success and that foreign language learning causes the formation of positive and negative attitudes.…

Discusses five causes of unjust conflict that may originate in religious commitment including arrogant intolerance; hostile remembrance; ethnocentrism; fundamentalism; and religious myths. Causes of conflict other than religion are suggested, and religion as a force for peace and unity is discussed. (KRN)