Parochialism

Parochialism

Parochialism means being provincial, being narrow in scope, or considering only small sections of an issue.

The term originates from the idea of a parish ( [Late] Latin: parochia), which is one of the smaller division within many Christian Churches such as the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches. Events, groups and decisions within a parish are based "locally" — sometimes taking little heed of what is going on in the wider Church. A parish can sometimes be excessively "focused on the local scale (thus within a particular point of view), by having (too) little contact with the broader outside, showing meagre interest for and possibly knowledge about the universal scale".

The term parochial can be applied in both culture and economics if a local culture or geographic area's government makes decisions based on solely local interests that do not take into account the effect of the decision on the wider community. The term may also be applied to decisions and events that are considered to be trivial in the grand scheme of things but that may be over-emphasised in a smaller community, such as disputes between neighbours.

Examples of parochialism in politics

Parochialism can be found around the world and has sometimes been acknowledged by portions of the society it exists in. For example in a change of curriculum on February 7th, 2007, Harvard University said that one of the main purposes of the major curriculum overhaul (the first in three decades) was to overcome American "parochialisms".

Australia

The politics of the smallest state in the Australian Federation, Tasmania, provides a clear example of parochialism, both at the state level, with the north/south divide while also strongly influencing the interaction of Tasmanian leaders with their mainland counterparts.

Canada

The interests of Canadian provinces are often dubbed "parochial", in that they often conflict with each other and those of the federal government. For example, Canadian foreign policy is said to be constrained by the parochial economic and material interests of the provincial governments. The emergence of regionally based political parties at the federal level, such as the Bloc Québécois and the former Reform Party, has also helped promote parochial regional interests within Parliament.

ee also

*http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/parochial
*Parochial school
*Provincial
*Nationalism


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Parochialism — Pa*ro chi*al*ism, n. The quality or state of being parochial in form or nature; a system of management peculiar to parishes. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • parochialism — (n.) limited and narrow character or tendency, 1847, from PAROCHIAL (Cf. parochial) + ISM (Cf. ism) …   Etymology dictionary

  • parochialism — [[t]pəro͟ʊkiəlɪzəm[/t]] N UNCOUNT (disapproval) Parochialism is the quality of being parochial in your attitude. We have been guilty of parochialism, of resistance to change …   English dictionary

  • parochialism — parochial ► ADJECTIVE 1) relating to a parish. 2) having a narrow outlook or scope. DERIVATIVES parochialism noun. ORIGIN Latin parochialis, from Greek paroikia (see PARISH(Cf. ↑parish)) …   English terms dictionary

  • parochialism — noun Date: 1847 the quality or state of being parochial; especially selfish pettiness or narrowness (as of interests, opinions, or views) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • parochialism — parochialist, n. parochialization, n. /peuh roh kee euh liz euhm/, n. a parochial character, spirit, or tendency; excessive narrowness of interests or view; provincialism. [1840 50; PAROCHIAL + ISM] * * * …   Universalium

  • parochialism — noun The quality or state of being parochial; especially: selfish pettiness or narrowness (as of interests, opinions, or views) …   Wiktionary

  • parochialism — Synonyms and related words: Jim Crow, alien, apartheid, authoritarianism, bigotry, blind side, blind spot, blinders, closed mind, color bar, cramped ideas, division, ethnocentrism, exclusiveness, fanaticism, foreigner, hideboundness, illiberality …   Moby Thesaurus

  • parochialism — pa ro·chi·al·ism || pÉ™ rəʊkɪəlɪzm n. narrow mindedness; provinciality, state of having a limited perspective …   English contemporary dictionary

  • parochialism — pa·ro·chial·ism …   English syllables

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