Distinctive Features of Cultural Anthropology, Ethnocentrism, and Cultural Relativism

Cultural Anthropology
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Part 1
Cultural anthropology is the study of human behavior, a field that has contributed to two cultural concepts; ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Ethnocentrism fuels the notion that a particular culture is superior and should be used as a reference point for other cultures that seem strange or inferior. Ethnocentrism gauges other cultures based on the standards of a particular group's culture (Miller, 2017). People who believe their culture is better than others may try to influence others to follow their way of life (Miller, 2017). This can be dehumanizing for people whose culture is deemed abnormal as they are made to doubt their ways of life and coerced to adopt foreign cultures.
On the other hand, cultural relativism involves analyzing a particular culture based on the perspective of the people who are part of that culture. This cultural concept believes that every culture is different and should be understood by its standards instead of comparing it with another culture (Miller, 2017). Cultural relativists believe no culture is superior to another, and they appreciate the diverse cultural practices worldwide. However, cultural relativism can be extreme and rigid to change, despite the fact that some traditions are retrogressive and cause harm to some members of the community (Miller, 2017).
Imposing one's religious beliefs on others is a form of ethnocentrism. For instance, Africans had their own religious beliefs before the arrival of missionaries and colonizers. Each community had unique religious practices and believed in a higher power named in their language (Miller, 2017). When the missionaries introduced Christianity, the traditional African religious beliefs started fading away as they adopted foreign worshipping.
An example of cultural relativism is appreciating that various communities have different ways of preparing and eating food. For instance, cultural relativists acknowledge that not everyone uses utensils when eating. In some communities, such as Ethiopians, food is served on a central platter shared among a group of people who use their hands to eat (Miller, 2017). In addition, some foods may be acceptable to most cultures and unacceptable to others. For instance, the Islamic religion forbids the consumption of pork. A cultural relativist would, therefore, not demean an Islamic friend who refuses to take pork.
Part 2
Balanced exchange is a mode of exchange in which the objective is to eventually gain equal value between the parties involved (Miller, 2017). Generalized reciprocity is one form of balanced exchange where the parties do not consciously expect any form of material gain from the transaction. It is the major exchange between people who trust each other, such as family. The parties believe that, in one way or another, the exchange will balance itself over time (Bennett, 2018). An example of generalized reciprocity is a mother making a meal for her family, whereby she expects no material returns for the service. A pure gift is a form of generalized reciprocity whereby a person expects absolutely no form of returns, for instance, donating food or money f...