Final answer:
Cultural relativism respects cultural differences and prevents the imposition of one dominant culture over others. It is an anthropological concept that requires understanding, appreciating, and engaging with other cultures without judgment and encourages seeing things from the perspective of those within the culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that describes a perspective which avoids the insensitivity and rigidness of absolutism, respects cultural differences, and prevents cultural domination is cultural relativism. This concept helps to explain the vast array of human cultures, with differing practices, values, and beliefs. It is not an 'anything goes' mentality, but a strategy for understanding, appreciating, and interacting with different cultures in a respectful and sensitive manner. Cultural relativism promotes seeing things from an insider's perspective, valuing an increased sensitivity to peoples of different cultures, and avoiding ethnocentrism. It encourages us to learn about different cultural norms and traditions from within the context of their own cultural systems before making judgments.
For instance, different societies have their unique styles of clothing, which relate to their own values and customs. In American culture, clothing style is connected to American values, just as Ghanaian clothing style is tied to Ghanaian values. Anthropologists using cultural relativism do not judge the merits of beliefs and practices but seek to understand the wider contexts that produce these cultural elements. Such an approach also stands in contrast to ethnocentrism, which is the evaluation of other cultures according to the standards of one's own culture. The practice of drinking coffee in the U.S. versus Earl Grey tea in England or Yak Butter tea in Tibet exemplifies the types of cultural differences that cultural relativism helps to understand without judgment.