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Parochialism
 
 
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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
Parish

A parish is a local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Methodist, and Presbyterianism churches....
 ([Late] Latin: parochia), which is one of the smaller division within many Christian churches such as the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 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
Christian Church

Christian Church and the word church are used to denote both a Christian Groups of people and a Church . The word church is usually, but not exclusively, associated with Christianity....
.






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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
Parish

A parish is a local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Methodist, and Presbyterianism churches....
 ([Late] Latin: parochia), which is one of the smaller division within many Christian churches such as the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 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
Christian Church

Christian Church and the word church are used to denote both a Christian Groups of people and a Church . The word church is usually, but not exclusively, associated with Christianity....
. 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
Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and States and territories of Australia of the same name. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait....
, 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
Mainland

Mainland is usually the continental part of a region, as opposed to the islands nearby. Sometimes the residents are called "the Mainlanders". As a result of the usually larger area of mainland, there are significantly more mainlanders than islanders, and mainlander culture and politics sometimes threaten to dominate those of the islands....
 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
Bloc Québécois

The Bloc Qu?b?cois is a federal political party in Canada that defines itself as devoted to both the protection of Quebec interests on a federal level as well as the promotion of its Quebec sovereignty movement....
 and the former Reform Party, has also helped promote parochial regional interests within Parliament
Parliament of Canada

The Parliament of Canada is Canada's legislature, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The Governor General of Canada appoints the 105 members of the upper house, the Canadian Senate, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada....
.

See also

  • Parochial school
    Parochial school

    Parochial school is one term used to describe a school that engages in religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrow sense, parochial schools are Christianity grammar schools or high schools run by parishes, but this distinction is not universally made....
  • Provincial
    Provincial

    Provincial has two basic meanings.It can refer to someone who has a limited, restricted, or non-sophisticated mentality or habits, stereotypical of an inhabitant of "the provinces" ....
  • Nationalism
    Nationalism

    Nationalism refers to an ideology, a feeling, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. While there is significant debate over the historical origins of nations, nearly all Expert accept that nationalism, at least as an ideology and social movement, is a Modernity phenomenon originating in Europe....
  • Intellectual inbreeding
    Intellectual inbreeding

    Intellectual inbreeding or academic inbreeding refers to the practice in academia of a university's hiring its own graduates to be professors....
  • NIMBY
    NIMBY

    NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for Not In My Back Yard. The term is used Pejorative to describe a new development's opposition by residents in its vicinity....