Spring  2002

DELTA HEALTH EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

A Partnerships for Training Project Funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Volume 3, Issue 4

The Cultural Connection

Inside this issue:

Many of us have experienced a number of changes in our world following the tragic events of September 11, 2001.  Events that cause such loss of life along with the images of the destruction are burned into our memories by the constant replay on television and in other media.  Embedded in the tragedy are important lessons in understanding the value of cultural connections.
This column will focus on one of the basic concepts in understanding culture and one that seems to raise its ugly head during times of stress and strife.  That concept is ethnocentrism.  To fully understand the concept of ethnocentrism, we must first remember that culture is a set of learned attributes including behavior patterns, language, arts, beliefs, values, customs, lifeways and the other products of human work.

(Purnell, 1998)  Ethnocentrism refers to the position that one particular culture is more important or better than another.  There have been discussions in the news in which the commentator refers to the "American Culture" as though there were but one monolithic culture.  George Will (2002) goes so far as to indicate that following Sept. 11, we are seeing a new wave of nationalism and that "nationalism is the assertion of national superiority. Nationalism is the rejection of cultural relativism, the basis of 'multiculturalism.'" (p. 6B) This form of ethnocentrism has the potential to be a destructive force and can take a variety of forms leading to bias in delivering health care.  To advocate for a
{Continued on Page 2}
single culture over others denies the