In Groups (We-Group)

Famous Sociologist William Graham Sumner has classified groups on the basis of we-feeling into two broad
categories such as in group and out group. The individual belongs to a number of groups which is considered as
his in groups. In groups are the groups with which an individual identifies himself completely. Member of in
group has feelings of attachment, sympathy and affection towards the other members of these groups. In
groups are generally based on a consciousness of kind. Members of a in group identity themselves with the
word ‘we’. In groups are relative to an particular social circumstances.
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These groups are marked by a feeling of ‘enthnocentrism’ i.e. the members of in group consider their group
superior than other groups. The family, the tribe, the college, the village to which a person belong are his in
groups. The members of an in group feel that their personal welfare is in some way or other connected with the
other members of the group. In the relationship among the members of in group they display co-operation,
good will, mutual help and respect for each other. Members of in group possess a sense of solidarity a feeling of
brotherhood. In group members are always ready to sacrifice themselves for the group.

Because of in group human qualities like love, sacrifice and sympathy develop among individuals. In group may
be called as we-group. We are odias are the example of we-group feeling. There always exists a considerable
degree of sympathy among the members of in group. In group members identify themselves with the group as a
whole. In groupness is the core of group life. This in groupness sets the members of an in group apart from all
other people.

The Most Important Characteristics of In-Group in Sociology:

(1) Ethnocentrism:
According to Sumner ethnocentrism is one of the most important characteristic of in group. He opines
ethnocentrism is that view of things in which one’s own group is the centre of everything and others are scaled
with reference to it. Because of this feeling the members of in group consider their group superior than other
groups. It is really the sentiment*of patriotism. By this primordial feeling an individual identify himself with
the group.

Meaning of Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism means the evaluation of other cultures with the measuring and prevailing in one's own-culture. This is why the cultural traits which are similar to those of the
observers, are evaluated as better than those which are quite different. The attitude where a person attributes one's own culture as superior to other lacks objectivity. Such an
attitude makes difficult for us to realise what is right in our eyes can be quite wrong from other's point of view. It is an unconscious conflict of an individual or group against other
individuals or groups.

It is an attitude of regarding one's own culture or group as inherently superior to others. Since other cultures are judged from the standpoint of one's own standards and other
cultures are different, therefore, foreign cultures are held to be inferior. It expresses an inability to appreciate the viewpoint of other cultures where languages, religions, morality
and ethical standards are different. Such an attitude is responsible for creating many personal, group, racial, and cultural problems ranging From an individual to international level.

One can imagine the importance of studying the topic on scientific lines from political, economic and socio-cultural point of views.

Definition of Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism defined as "a belief that one's own group, race, society and culture is good, normal, right and superior to other groups, culture, society and race that are
inferior, wrong, abnormal and bad." There is a tendency in to judge other cultures, societies, groups, and races from one's own standards.

Ethnocentrism
Closely related to the concept of cultural relativity is the concept of ethnocentrism. The world ethno comes from Greek and refers to a people,
nation, or cultural grouping, while centric comes from Latin and refers, of course to the centre. The term ethnocentrism then refers to the
tendency for each society to place its own culture patterns at the centre of things. Ethnocentrism is the practice of comparing other cultural
practices with those of one's own and automatically finding those other cultural practices to be inferior. It is the habit of each group taking for
granted the superiority of its culture. It makes our culture into a yardstick with which to measure all other cultures as good or bad, high or
low, right or queer in proportion as they resemble ours.

What is the meaning of Ethnocentrism?

Summer defined ethnocentrism as "that view of things in which ones' own group is the center of everything and all others are scaled and rated with reference to it. From this
definition, Horton and Hunt deduce that it is the habit of every group of taking for granted the superiority of its culture.
It means that every culture considers itself superior to other cultures. The. Americans think of themselves as the "Progressive" while the Eastern cultures call them immoral. The
Pakistanis call themselves as brave, hard-worker and faithful people. The Arabs call themselves hospitable. Similarly, the people of every nation feel pride and claim superiority
upon other nations. This sense of pride or superiority upon others is called ethnocentrism.
Even within a society different social groups are ethnocentric against one another. The agriculturists claim to be superior to laborers and the businessmen are proud upon low class
servants. Similarly, high class officers think themselves higher upon other low class servants. This feeling of superiority upon others is universal among nations groups and the
individuals. This cultural trait is called ethnocentrism.

Effect of Ethnocentrism on society and individuals

Ethnocentrism can affect individuals and societies either in positive or negative way. If we take ethnocentrism in a positive way, someone may have extraordinary faith in any
individual, cultural, country or ethnic group. On the other hand a person can feel and consider himself and his cultural values etc. superior than other individuals, cultures and
societies

Ethnocentrism Examples
For example, when we in Pakistan say that Hindu culture or Western culture is not good, we pass such a judgement, keeping our own cultural and social standards in our minds.
This is a historical fact that everywhere man has displayed his own interests, value system, cultural patterns and normative order as right, normal, and superior to otlwrs. Such
beliefs and value system stratified the populations into many different categories, where assimilation of different cultures becomes difficult resulting in different treatment for
various sections of population.

Another example of ethnocentrism, in Pakistan women mostly observe "pardah", thus we have been conditioned with this pattern of culture and surely a free woman of Western
society would not be regarded as good and modest woman according to our measuring rod. Thus, we contempt the Western culture, because through our socialization in Pakistani
society we begin to regard it the best available culture in the world. In the same way, people judge other religions from the point of view of their own religious values. This type of
attitude is called ethnocentrism.

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Examples of Ethnocentrism
7th grade8th grade9th gradeMiddle SchoolHigh SchoolCollege

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Ethnocentrism is a major reason for divisions amongst members of different ethnicities, races, and religious groups in society. Ethnocentrism is the belief of
superiority is one's personal ethnic group, but it can also develop from racial or religious differences.
Ethnocentric individuals believe that they are better than other individuals for reasons based solely on their heritage. Clearly, this practice is related to problems of
both racism and prejudice.
While many people may recognize the problems, they may not realize that ethnocentrism occurs everywhere and everyday at both the local and political levels.

Ethnocentrism in History
Present Day Politics
To solidify the definition of ethnocentrism, looking at the present day politics of the United States is helpful. With instances occuring since its conception, the United
States has often thought of itself as more powerful, more economically sound, and just generally "better" than other nations. This has been shown by the country's
tendency to dabble in situations occuring in other nations, such as the country's current involvement with affairs in the Middle East.
Although the idea of every citizen in the United States belonging to one ethnicity is certainly debatable, since the country has citizens who originally came from all
over the world, the feeling of national pride can stand in for a pure ethnicity in this case.

European Imperialism
Imperialism, the practice of taking over other lands, was heavily practiced by Europe starting in the sixteenth century. As most individuals know, the colonies in the
United States were one of the regions that the Europeans tried to control from overseas. They also overtook lands in Africa. They believed both Africa and the
Americas to be primitive societies based on hunting and farming, and felt that they needed to take over these nations in order to bring them up to speed with modern
technologies.
Traces of this sense of European ethnocentrism are still evident today. For example, in schools in Europe, world studies courses tend to focus almost solely on the
history of the United States and Europe, and largerly ignore other parts of the world.

The Mandate of Heaven

One of the most prominent examples of ethnocentrism was the Sinocentric system developed out of the idea of the "Mandate of Heaven" proliferated by the Chinese
philosopher Confucias. The "Mandate of Heaven" meant that the Chinese felt that they had received divine power which entitled them to exert heavy rule over the
citizens, and that they had power over the rest of the world. In fact, the Emperor was referred to as the "Son of Heaven" exemplifying the intense control he had over
the people.
While this system of government formally ended in the nineteenth century, some scholars believe that the Chinese ethnocentrism lives on.

Nazi Germany
One of the most well known and the most horrible examples of ethnocentrism to ever occur was during Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler decided that he hated Jews, as
well as some other groups of people, and had many innocent people slaughtered in concentration camps. They did not deserve the torture that they received, and this
was clearly an extreme case of ethnocentrism. While prejudice certainly leads to problems, very rarely in history has ethnocentrism led to the mass slaughter of
millions of innocent people.

Ethnocentrim in Pop Culture

In the Movies
Ethnocentrism is not often presented as such a serious problem in movies, and is more often seen as a sort of entertaining device. The father in My Big Fat Greek
Wedding constantly states that he can trace any word back to Greek origins. Furthermore, the entire movie is centered around the thrills and issues of planning a Greek
wedding. Ultimately though, the movie has a happy ending, subtly suggesting that the positives outweigh the negatives.
Another example of ethnocentrism that is covered with humor occurs in the comedy American Wedding. Upon learning that her grandson is not marrying a Jewish
girl, Jim's grandmother becomes inconsolable. Furthermore, Michelle's father makes the mistake of toasting to his soon-to-be in laws with hopes that they will sit
many happy shivas together. He is painted as a fool for his statement, and the movie subtly indicates a Jewish ethnocentrism.

In Literature
In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character Janie Starks is a very light skinned black woman. For this, the other black woman in her
town are often are full of contempt for her. She seems to straddle the line between black and white at various points in the novel. This novel indicates that
ethnocentrism is an extremely broad topic because even within one's own ethnicity or race, divisions will be found. The writing illustrates important components of
ethnocentrism in history as well, because before the victory of the Civil Rights era, blacks would often try to "pass" for whites, and those who succeeded were often
scorned by other blacks.
The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare portrays an intense disagreement between the Jew, Shylock, and the Christian, Antonio. Antonio constantly scorns Shylock
for being a Jew, which ultimately culiminates in one of the most famous speeches of all time where Shylock asks:
"If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?/If you posion us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge?"

The "us" that Shylock is referring to are Jews.

Conclusions
As seen by Shylock's speech, ethnocentrism is a powerful force that weakens human relations. Shylock's point is that despite the cultural differences, we are all still
human. There is no intrinsic difference between a Jew and a Christian, a black and a white, a Chinese citizen and a German citizen, and so forth. Although Shylock is
painted as the villian of The Merchant of Venice, perhaps we can all take a lesson from him in order to avAbstract
 Ethnocentrism is a slippery concept that different disciplines and individuals use in diverse,
inconsistent, and incompatible ways. Ethnocentrism is usually defined as a kind of ethnic or
cultural group egocentrism, which involves a belief in the superiority of one’s own group,
including its values and practices, and often contempt, hatred, and hostility towards those outside
the group. Although the focus of ethnocentrism is most often an ethnic or cultural group, certain
usages of ethnocentrism refer to many, or even all, kinds of groups. This entry will present a
critical overview of different usages of ethnocentrism. It will first review original usages of the
concept. Next, it will critically review usages of the concept across disciplines, and will provide
a comprehensive and internally consistent definition of ethnocentrism. Finally, it will discuss
four links between ethnocentrism and religion.

ETHNOCENTRISM AND THE EVALUATION OF CULTURE

The diversity of cultural practices and adaptations to the problems of human existence
often lead some to question which practices are the best. Ethnocentrism is when one
views their own culture as the best and only proper way to behave and adapt.
 Since most humans believe their culture is the best and only way to live, there
are small amounts of ethnocentrism everywhere in the world.
 Small doses help to create a sense of cultural pride and to build strong, cohesive
groups.
 But taken to extremes, and certainly when it includes an unwillingness to be
tolerant, it can be destructive. Ethnocentrism is at the heart of colonization and
genocide.
 Cultural anthropologists have, however, pushed for cultural relativism, the
principle that all cultures must be understood in terms of their own values and
beliefs, not by the standards of another. Under this principle, no culture is better
than any other and cultures can only be judged on whether they are meeting the
needs of their own people.

Effects of Ethnocentrism in Society

Following are the negative and positive aspects of ethnocentrism. How ethnocentrism affects individuals and society as whole.

Positive Effects of Ethnocentrism

It encourages social solidarity in groups and in society by which the forces of co-operation become stronger.

It provides protection to group members by, creating sense of belonging among them, Those Members who are weak, poor, hopeless and helpless are encouraged by joining, hands
of it with them. It means it provides compensation to the people of low status.
It promotes nationalism and patriotism among the members of society. Because it stimulates the spirit of belonging to the society and. culture claiming superiority to others,

Caste, Biradri and consanguine groups develop by it in which marriage and other social relations are facilitated.

Negative Effects of Ethnocentrism

It creates tight boundaries among various social groups. The inter-group relations are hampered due to prejudice against another. The process of social relations among various
groups gets slower.

The prejudice created by it creates conflict and tension among many groups. The social forces of cooperation face problems in their operation.

It limits an individual in a small social group to which he belongs. He remains within the limits of that group and is not influenced by the general social changes happening around
him in the society. He remains backward in a sense by this way and adopts little changes. Sometimes even he preaches against modern social changes, it means, it discourages
culture change among the people.

The national development in general is slowed down in such cultures when ethnocentrism is emphasized in books, newspapers, radio and television

Ethnocentrism is a universal human reaction found in all known societies, in all groups and in practically all individuals. Everyone learns
ethnocentrism while growing up. The possessiveness of the small child quickly translates "into my toys are better than your toys" Parents;
unless they are quite crude, outwardly discourage their children from verbalizing such beliefs. But in private, they may reassure their off
springs that their possessions are indeed very nice. Much of the learning of ethnocentrism is indirect and unintended, but some of it is
deliberate. History for example, is often taught to glorify the achievements of one's own nation, and religious, civic and other groups
disparage their competitors openly. Among adults, ethnocentrism is simply a fact of life.
Once one becomes conscious of ethnocentrism, the temptation is strong to evaluate it in moral terms; to label it with epithets such as bigoted
chauvinistic, and so on, and to imply that one who has not discovered and compensated for his or her ethnocentric biases is not worthy. This
incidentally, is another form of ethnocentrism. The important point, however, is that ethnocentrism is one of the features of culture and , like
the rest of culture , it needs to be evaluated in terms of its contribution to the maintenance of social order and the promotion of social
change.
FUNCTIONS
The functions of ethnocentrism in maintaining order are more apparent than those which promote social change. First, ethnocentrism
encourages the solidarity of the group. Believing that one's own ways are the best, encourages a "we" feeling with associates and strengthens
the idea that loyalty to comrades and preservation of the basis for superiority are important values. Positively, ethnocentrism promotes
continuance of the status quo negatively, it discourages change.
Second, ethnocentrism hinders the under standing of the cooperation with other groups. If the ways of one's own group are best, there is
little incentive to interact with inferior groups. In fact, attitudes of suspicion, disdain and hostility are likely to be engendered. Extreme
ethnocentrism is likely to promote conflict, as the records of past wars, and religious and racial conflicts reveal.
Conflict, of course often leads to social change and in that sense ethnocentrism becomes a vehicle for the promotion of social change. It does
so, however, through encouragement of its peaceful evolution. There is little doubt that most social scientists are biased in favor of peaceful
social change and are opposed to conflict. Consequently, they tend even if subtly, to denigrate ethnocentrisms and to imply that students
must rid themselves of it if they are to learn effectively. In so doing, sociologists operate implicitly from a combination of evolutionary and
functionalist models. Recent years have seen this stance called into question. The revolutionary efforts of groups who see themselves as
downtrodden blacks, the poor, women, and young people have included deliberate efforts to foster ethnocentrism as a means of
strengthening themselves. Slogans such as' "black power" conflict model of society from which they operate.

Caste in india
The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic example of caste. It has origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites
in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, especially the Mughal Empire and the British Raj.[1][2][3][4] It is today the basis of educational and job
reservations in India.[5] It consists of two different concepts, varna and ja Caste

The term caste is not an Indian word. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is derived from the Portuguese casta, meaning "race, lineage, breed" and,

originally, "'pure or unmixed (stock or breed)".[28] There is no exact translate

ROLE OF CASTE

Today, due to the impact of modernization and industrialization caste is regarded as a social evil. However,
history clearly shows that it was due to the caste system that the Hindus could preserve themselves from the
Muslim invasions and rule.

The rigidity of the caste system prevented the people from changing their religion.
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The functions of the caste can be divided into the following three parts:
1. Functions of caste in the individual’s life.

2. Functions of caste system in the community life.

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3. Functions of caste system in the social life.

1. Functions of Caste in the Individual’s Life:
Caste system guides individual’s life from his birth till death. It can be stated that it influenced his life even
before his birth indirectly by influencing daily lives of his or her parents. Wilson has rightly stated that Caste
gives its directions for recognition, acceptance, consecration and sacramental dedication and vice versa of
human being on his appearance in the world.

Right from infancy to manhood it ordained methods of seeking, sipping, drinking eating and voiding of
washing, rinsing, anointing and smearing; of clothing and ornamenting of speaking reading, listening and
reciting meditations, singing, working, playing and fighting. It interferes, in short, with all the relations and
events of life. An individual is affected by caste system in his personal life in the following respects:

(i) Determination of Social Status:

In caste system birth determines the social status of an individual. Wealth, power or poverty cannot alter it.
Thus he finds himself free from the greed for wealth which is a common malady of the present age. He pursues
his obligations without the lust for wealth and power.

(ii) To provide Mental Security:

The caste system provides mental security to the individual. Through the caste a person has to follow a fixed
occupation and he also knows where he is going to marry and what type of social life he has to follow.

In this way, the pattern of life to be allowed by the individual is determined by the rules of the caste. Hence, a
person has not to bother about the courses of life he has to follow because everything is predetermined.

(iii) Selection of Occupation:

From the birth, the individual knows the type of occupation he has to fellow. Apart from this, he is also given
the training in the profession which he supposed to follow. This provides him with a proper frame of mind
about the nature of the occupation he has to pursue.

(iv) Selection of Life Partners:

The caste system has laid down the rules of endogamy. By this ride a person has to marry within his own caste
or sub-caste. In this manner, the selection of mate depends upon the caste rules.

(v) Control over Behaviour:

Every caste has its own rules and codes of conduct which guide both individual and social behaviour. Thus,
anarchy in human relations is greatly controlled.

2. Functions of Caste System in the Community Life:

Caste influences community life in the following manner.

(i) Maintenance of the Purity of Blood:

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Though purity of blood has no scientific base, yet from the view point of race or breed caste system is one of the
best means for keeping the purity of race.

(ii) Maintenance of Religious Ideas:

Religion is one of the main forces which lifted mankind from its early barbarian late to a more human level.
Caste system in India was to a great extent responsible for keeping intact lofty feeling and ideas of Hindu
religion.

(iii) Social Status in Society:

Every caste has a definite status in the caste hierarchy. To maintain us position of same light, each caste tried to
incorporate m it certain codes of good behaviour and social obligation, which every member of the particular
caste was bound to follow.

(iv) To Safeguard Culture:

Caste is a local group and every caste has its own style of life. The caste system has imposed certain restrictions
on marriage, interdining and has also laid down us for commensality. By restricting the social circle of
relationship, the caste has been able to maintain the continunity of culture and has safeguarded against the
infiltration of alien, culture elements in the caste structure.

3. Functions of Caste System in the Social Life:

Caste system has its utility not only for its members or itself but does certain beneficial tasks for the whole
society of Hindus. In fact, it is the very basis of Hindu social organisation. Following are some of the main roles
which caste system plays in relation to the social life of the Hindus:.

(i) Development of Social Order:

Caste system was the main factor which caused the development and growth of Hindu social organisation for a
considerable period According to Dr Majumdar, cast system did a great service for the Hindu community by
providing a common form for costive effort and agitation. Caste helps in social groups together in spite of
contradictory group philosophies and integration in our society. Thus, it is evident that the caste system was die
uniting force which kept together innumerable social groups within India and combined them to act as one of
the most coordinated social organizations in the world. Different religious order, i.e. Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists
and other similar groups and organisation were united into one whole by the caste system.

All these groups have different natures and philosophies having contradictory conceptions about life and its
purposes, yet on one amongst them regards himself out of Hinduism as a whole. J.H. Hutton has rightly
pointed out that it will be understood then that the most important of all its functions of caste perhaps is or has
been to integrate. It was this assimilative character of Indian society which in its turn, was the direct outcome of
caste system which absorbed various invading tribes like Sakas, Huns, Mongols etc.

(ii) Implementation of the Principle of Division of Labour:

It is a well-established fact that division of social labour is the first condition for smooth and efficient working
of society. Caste system has induced persons of different castes to perform the social duties allotted to them
without any greed. Because members of a particular caste believe that by virtue of their birth they have to
undertake the jobs which are associated with their castes. At the same time, the theory of Karma states that by
performing dutifully all his social labours he can rise in the next birth to higher level of caste hierarchy.

(iii) As a Means of Political Stabilizer:

The caste system has been responsible for political stability in India. It is responsible for the preservation of
India from complete barbarism and has been the basis of orderly Government. It has been responsible for a
defense against despotism. S.C. Hill has pointed out that whereas in Europe we are accustomed to think of
political and social system of the country as the same thing; the Hindu regards them as distinct and separable.

(iv) As a base of Indian Social Structure:

The caste system provides every individual of the society a definite social status and ways for social intercourse.
It makes a person member of a particular caste since his birth and then channelises his or her life throughout
the rest of the period. In this way an individual is protected from all types of frustration which are the outcome
of an unorganized social order. According to Dr. Bhagwan Das the caste system of ancient India is a well-
conceived scientific socialism. Caste system also determines the kind of education for each community. Thus,
education of Brahmin was based upon religion that of Kshatriya was based upon the necessity of defense and so
on.

Thus, we find that the caste system in India evolved to serve certain useful social tasks and it helped to a great
extent the development of Hindu social organization. The role played by the caste system in the unification and
scientific organization of different kinds of institutions and groups cannot be gainsaid.

Primary groups[edit]
A primary group is typically a small social group (small-scale society) whose members share close, personal, enduring relationships. These groups are marked by
members' concern for one another, in shared activities and culture. Examples include family, childhood friends, and highly influential social groups. The concept of
the primary group was introduced by Charles Cooley, a sociologist from the Chicago School of sociology, in his book Social Organization: A Study of the Larger
Mind. Although the group initially referred to the first intimate group of a person's childhood, the classification was later extended to include other intimate
relations.[1] Primary groups play an important role in the development of personal identity. A primary group is a group in which one exchanges implicit items, such
as love, caring, concern, animosity, support, etc. Examples, of these would be family groups, love relationships, crisis support groups, church groups, etc.
Relationships formed in primary groups are often long-lasting and goals in themselves. They also are often psychologically comforting to the individuals involved
and provide a source of support.