Culture-Supremacy: Expressions, Sources, and Resistance to a Psychology of Motivated Ignorance
On the background of ethnocentrism, the lack of knowledge and experiences, and the a priori assumption that one’s culture is not only the standard or norm but at the apex of a historically constituted or imagined hierarchy, the expressions of culture-supremacy are discussed. Although culture-centris...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2022
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| In: |
Research in the social scientific study of religion
Year: 2022, Volume: 32, Pages: 323-340 |
| Further subjects: | B
History of religion studies
B Religious sociology B Social sciences B Religionspsycholigie B Religionswissenschaften B Religion & Gesellschaft B Vergleichende Religionswissenschaft & Religionswissenschaft |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | On the background of ethnocentrism, the lack of knowledge and experiences, and the a priori assumption that one’s culture is not only the standard or norm but at the apex of a historically constituted or imagined hierarchy, the expressions of culture-supremacy are discussed. Although culture-centrism afflicts every culture, with every context having a limited horizon as part of mainstream ideology, culture-supremacy entails reinforcing that status quo, using economic, military, ideological, practical, institutional, and academic power, and without knowing or caring about other cultures. It is argued that intersectionality is not only expressed in terms of oppression but also in terms of supremacy, reflecting the nexus between culture, race, religion, nationality, and country of origin, and that culture can easily become a substitute for biological discourses. Expressions and other phenomena of culture-supremacy and its motivated ignorance are discussed, as are its sources that include hierarchical thinking, quantification, and ranking. Culture-supremacy in the discipline of psychology is debated. Suggestions for combatting culture-supremacy, including the practices of solidarity and agape, are proposed, while it is emphasized that resistance cannot be reduced to individual activities and that it is equally important to work on interpersonal, societal, and economic conditions. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Research in the social scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/9789004505315_019 |