The Cultural Meaning of Cultural Difference

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In this project, two anthropologists will interview a sample of middle-class Americans about their perceptions of cultural differences. The research objective is to describe the models used to understand and explain diferences between themselves and people living beyond US borders - people commonly defined as "Non-Western", underdeveloped or "Third World". The methods used to analyze this cultural idea system will include the examination of photographic images of Asians, Africans, and Latin Americans found in popular magazines; these pictures will be treated both as sources of information for magazine readers and as cultural artifacts reflecting the beliefs of the publishing society. The project will also interview a sample of individuals intensively on their ideas about foreigners. A cultural model of ethnocentrism will be created from these sources of information. This project is important because it will help us understand ethnocentrism as it exists in the USA. This country has always been described as less knowledgeable about foreigners than any other major Western nation. As the world economic situation changes and US citizens have to accomodate to more powerful foreign nations, we need to understand our own perceptions and reactions to them. This research will advance this understanding.