Ethnorelativism
entry by Julie M. Marx, Global Family Expert at Expat Valley
An orientation toward cultural difference in which one’s own culture is experienced as one viable option among many, rather than as the default or superior standard. The ethnorelative perspective enables flexible, contextually appropriate interpretation of behavior across cultural contexts. In Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, ethnorelativism encompasses the stages of acceptance, adaptation, and integration.
Comparable terms
Cultural relativism (anthropology — related but distinct; cultural relativism is a methodological and ethical position in research; ethnorelativism is a perceptual orientation in individuals) · Intercultural openness (coaching, education — informal equivalent) · Acceptance (Bennett DMIS — the first ethnorelative stage) · Multicultural perspective (education — broader; may be institutional as well as individual)
Why this matters
Ethnorelativism is the mindset that makes genuine respect and flexibility across cultures possible. It is strongly linked to healthy identity and better relationships in mobile families. It also aligns with integration as a well‑being‑protective acculturation outcome.
Cross-references
Intercultural Sensitivity (Identity & Belonging); Ethnocentrism (Cultural Adaptation); DMIS (Cultural Adaptation); IDI (Cultural Adaptation); Cultural Humility (Cultural Adaptation); Integration (Cultural Adaptation). The DMIS is the theoretical framework within which ethnorelativism is defined as the developmental goal; the IDI is the instrument measuring progress toward it. Cultural humility is the attitudinal practice most closely associated with the ethnorelative orientation in clinical and educational contexts — the recognition that one’s own cultural framework is one among many equally valid options. Integration describes the acculturation outcome most consistent with an ethnorelative orientation.
Sources
Bennett positions ethnorelativism as the developmental goal of intercultural education, comprising three stages — acceptance of cultural difference as inevitable and natural, adaptation of one’s communicative behavior across cultural contexts, and integration of multiple cultural frames of reference into one’s identity — each representing an increasingly sophisticated engagement with cultural difference. Bennett, M.J. (1993). Towards ethnorelativism: A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. In R.M. Paige (Ed.), Education for the Intercultural Experience (2nd ed., pp. 21–71). Intercultural Press.
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