IGCSE Sociology Unit 2 – Culture, identity and Socialization Practice Test

Cultural relativism is about judging beliefs and practices in their own cultural context rather than through the lens of another culture. This approach reduces bias and the tendency to see one’s own culture as superior, which is ethnocentrism. By evaluating cultures on their own terms, we can compare them more meaningfully because we’re not imposing our standards or value judgments. It doesn’t erase cultural differences; it explains them within the appropriate context. It also doesn’t promote judging other cultures by our standards, nor does it prevent cross-cultural comparison—indeed, it makes such comparisons fairer and more insightful because they’re grounded in each culture’s own norms and meanings.