Define Cultural Relativism

Franz Boas in Race, Language and Cutlure, 1910 defined Cultutral Relavitism as a methods where different societies and culture are look upon objectively without subjective them to cross cultural comparisons.

Concept given by Franz Boas and Malinowksi.

It implies that belief are relative to a particular society and are not comparable to others.

Herskovits – "Judgements are based on experience and experience is interpreted by each individual in terms of his own enculturations".

Franz Boas – " Culture is not absolute , its relative. Our ideas , belief, and concepts are true only for our culture", they can't be used as reference to judge another culture.

Cultural Relativism and Human Rights ––

Universal Declaration of Human Right, 1948.
Cultutral Relativism and human rights has been an ongoing debate since the adaptation of UDHR, 1948.
Human rights has prime focus on individuals, in which all cultural practices are judged upon whether any basic human rights violated by following these practices.
Ex –– Head hunting among naga Criticised and against human rights due to loss of life.

Challenges –

Who decides which human rights to safeguards and which can be violated.
Concept of human rights is altogether ethnocentric which change based on culture to culture.

Way Ahead – But Undoubtedly there has to be a minimum standards among practices across the world which need to be safeguarded.

Scholars –

M J Herskovits (1979) –– has said that many of the practices of UNHRC seeks to impose western values on tribal societies.
Elizabeth Zechenter in her In the Name of Culture: Cultural Relativism and the Abuse of the Individual –– has argued that Multiculturalism, cultural Relativism, and Post Modernism have led to abrogation of Human rights.
Paul Rosenblatt however has argued for a synthesis of the two approach.–– Tribal right and Human right synthesis.

India – Article 371A-G Provide automony to Tribals and their cultural practices safegaurded by Constitutional is the way ahead.

Reason for Cultural Relativism So Dear to Anthropologists–

Promote Tolerance of other culure – Impartial objectivity.
Promote Divresity.
Understand and recognised human difference
Applied Anthropology
Preserve Human culture.
Help reform societies.–– Paul Rosenblatt agree that Cultural Relativists are aware of values and understanding of a society. Thus they know how to persuade a tribal society to give it up some practices which against human rights, Ex – Naga Head hunting.