UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES,
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
FACULTY OF LINGUISTICS AND CULTURES OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING
COUNTRIES
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
COURSE NAME: Intercultural communication - ENG2054-22
INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Phan Thi Van Quyen, M.A
STUDENT’S NAME: Nguyen Ngoc Tung Lam
STUDENT ID: 22040083
STUDENT EMAIL: tunglamnguyen0610@[Link]
ASSIGNMENT: Final essay
DUE DATE: 15/05/2024
DECLARATION:
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the sources cited in this assignment have been properly acknowledged and referenced using APA
format with links provided.
Student’s Signature_______________________________________Date_______________
TOPIC 4: ETHNOCENTRISM / XENOCENTRISM
Ethnocentrism and xenocentrism are like two sides of the same coin: they both represent
a form of cultural bias, yet their meanings are inherently contradictory. To become
interculturally competent, one must be conscious of one's own prejudices and
preferences, or, in other words, understand the culture to which he belongs or prefers, as
well as the culture with which he communicates in order to make proper adjustment. This
paper attempts to explain the reasons behind these two schools of thought, as well as their
impact on people’s lives based on my first-hand experiences and personal reflection.
From a very young age, I have been exposed to English a lot mainly through cartoons.
For whatever reason, as a kid, I always preferred English cartoons to Vietnamese ones.
As I grew older, I stopped watching cartoons and switched to YouTube videos and
movies that are in English. My English skills were pretty good, so I had little problems
when consuming English media. I've always found American entertainment media more
fascinating than Vietnamese ones.
I was born into a traditional Vietnamese household and most of my relatives prefer
traditional Vietnamese media, even my cousins who are around the same age as mine.
Later in my life, I became increasingly captivated by American culture, particularly
music. I also found it easier to become friends with people sharing the same taste as me. I
normally would not mind other people who do not share the same interest as me.
However, a few incidents have made me realize my personal biases towards others.
First incident happened when I was in middle school. I was watching “The Voice” - a
talent show that was in English when my uncle came to visit my family. After greeting
him, I continued watching the show when my uncle said: “What kind of show is this? I
don’t understand anything. Why are you watching this? You must be showing off that
you know English, right?” I was taken aback and pretty offended by his statement. I did
not respond and instead turned on some Vietnamese music for my uncle. I was thinking:
“Why did he complain about what I like when his music was more boring?”. Secondly,
when I was in high school, I found it hard to make friends since most of my classmates
did not share the same taste as me. I struggled to start and maintain conversations with
my classmates since I did not follow their interests, which were primarily Vietnamese
media. But when I met D, one of my classmates, I found out that he shared the same
music taste as me - he was also into old school rock music. Me and him soon became
close friends and we still talk to each other frequently about our hobbies.
All of my experiences and incidents indicate that I have a xenocentric attitude. In
sociology, xenocentrism is seen as the antithesis of ethnocentrism, which describes
individuals who prefer a culture distinct from their own and assess everything by
comparing it to that other society (Camacho et al, 2020). I prefer American culture,
especially music, and I have used it to compare myself to other people, as evidenced in
my first example, when I compared American music with Vietnamese music or when I
used my preference as a standard to make friends in high school. Xenocentrism is created
when an individual is exposed to a different culture (Kent & Burnight, 1951). It is clear
that since I was exposed to English and American culture via television shows and
cartoons, I have developed a liking for American culture, which has evolved into a
xenocentric mentality.
In order to become interculturally competent, I must adjust my actions by understanding
both the culture I prefer and the culture in which I am communicating. It can be seen that
because of my biases, I have trouble making friends and acquaintances. A capable
intercultural communicator does not necessarily repress unpleasant feelings, but rather
acknowledges their existence and strives to reduce their impact on her or his
communication with others (Lustig & Koester, 2006).
REFERENCE
Camacho LJ, Salazar-Concha C, Ramírez-Correa P (2020). The Influence of Xenocentrism on Purchase
Intentions of the Consumer: The Mediating Role of Product Attitudes. Sustainability. 2020; 12(4):1647.
[Link]
Kent, Donald P.; Burnight, Robert G. (1951). "Group Centrism in Complex Societies". American
Journal of Sociology. 57 (3): 256–259. doi:10.1086/220943
Lustig, M., & Koester, J. (2006). Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across
Cultures. Pearson Education