Outline and explain two ways in which the ethnocentric curriculum may operate in education.

The term 'ethnocentric' describes an attitude or policy that gives priority to the culture and viewpoint of one particular ethnic group, while disregarding others. The culture that dominates is adopted by most schools. Many sociologists see the ethnocentric curriculum as a prime example of institutional racism because it builds an everyday racial bias into the everyday workings of schools and colleges.
One way the ethnocentric curriculum may operate is through language and literature. Troyna and Williams argue how there is a lack of Asian languages (such as Hindi) being taught in comparison to European languages (such as French and Spanish). In addition, David (1993) describes the National Curriculum as a 'specifically British' curriculum that largely ignores non-European languages, literature and music.
Furthermore, Ball (1994) argues that the National Curriculum ignores ethnic diversity as it promotes an attitude of 'little Englandism' - criticising the subject History. The history curriculum tries to recreate a 'mythical age of empire and past glories', while ignoring the history of black and Asian people.