Cultural relativism

Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities make sense in terms of his or her own culture. This principle was established as axiomatic in anthropological research by Franz Boas in the first few decades of the 20th century, and then popularized in the 1940s by Boas's students. Boas himself did not use the term, and the term became common among anthropologists after Boas's death in 1942 (the first use of the term in the journal American Anthropologist was in 1948); thus, the term itself represents how Boas's students summarized their own synthesis of many of the things Boas taught them.

Related Topics:
Anthropological - Franz Boas

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Cultural relativism involves specific epistemological and methodological claims. Whether or not these claims necessitate a specific ethical stance is a matter of debate. Nevertheless, this principle should not be confused with moral relativism.

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