etic

comparative more etic · superlative most etic

1. anthropologyOf or pertaining to analysis of a culture from a perspective situated outside that culture.

   1 more example

   A useful example of the emic-etic distinction may be made by comparing the concept “waves on the ocean or sea” from the perspective of a European American with that of a Truk Islander […] The proposed etics here might be that both cultures understand the use of waves as vehicles for surfing and as movement reflecting the transfer of energy […] certain differences, or emics exist, for European Americans the waves may be sources of beauty — the Truk Islander has learned to use them […] as a road map.

   1996, Advanced Methodological Issues in Culturally Competent Evaluation for Substance Abuse Prevention