Xenophobia

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Xenophobia is a fear or contempt of that which is foreign or unknown, especially of strangers or foreign people.Definition at Reference.com It comes from the Greek words ξένος (xenos), meaning "foreigner," "stranger," and φόβος (phobos), meaning "fear." The term is typically used to describe fear or dislike of foreigners or in general of people different from oneself.

Additionally, in the science fiction genre, xenophobia may refer to a fear or hatred of extraterrestrial cultures or beings.

General

As with all phobias, a xenophobic person is aware of the fear, and therefore has to believe at some level that the target is in fact a foreigner. This arguably separates xenophobia from racism and ordinary prejudice in that someone of a different race does not necessarily have to be of a different nationality. In various contexts, the terms "xenophobia" and "racism" seem to be used interchangeably, though they can have wholly different meanings (xenophobia can be based on various aspects, racism being based solely on race and ancestry).

For xenophobia there are two main objects of the phobia. The first is a population group present within a society that is not considered part of that society. Often they are recent immigrants, but xenophobia may be directed against a group which has been present for centuries. This form of xenophobia can elicit or facilitate hostile and violent reactions, such as mass expulsion of immigrants, or in the worst case, genocide.

The second form of xenophobia is primarily cultural, and the objects of the phobia are cultural elements which are considered alien. All cultures are subject to external influences, but cultural xenophobia is often narrowly directed, for instance at foreign loan words in a national language. It rarely leads to aggression against individual persons, but can result in political campaigns for cultural or linguistic purification. Isolationism, a general aversion of foreign affairs, is not accurately described as xenophobia.

Japan

From 1641 to 1853, Japan had a policy of exclusion of virtually all foreigners (not merely an avoidance of foreign relations), known as \'national closure\', or sakoku. In the early 19th century, Mito scholars advocated jōi, the forceful expulsion of \'barbarians\', though almost none existed there. By the middle of the 19th century, with outside pressure mounting, some Japanese scholars and leaders tied \'Western Learning\' and \'Nativist Studies\' (kokugaku) to a goal of nation building.Wakabayashi, Bob Tadashi, Anti-Foreignism and Western Learning in Early-Modern Japan, Council on East-Asian Studies, Harvard University, 1986. ISBN 0674040376 Nihonjinron, a widely popular type of nonfiction literature emerging in the second half of the 20th century, has been described as xenophobic,Befu, Harumi, Hegemony of Homogeneity, Melbourne: Trans-Pacific Press, 2001. though most of the works in the genre lack this element.

Currently, the only legal protection foreign citizens enjoy from xenophobic practices is Article 14 of the Constitution, which states: "all of the people shall be equal under the law,and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic, or social relations because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin[...]". Japan ratified the ICERD in 1995, but has failed to enact appropriate legislation as directed by Article 2b, simultaneously using \'freedom of expression\' rights as a shield against the stipulations of Article 4a and b. The 2006 report by the UN Special Rapporteur for Racial Discrimination, Doudou Diène, was highly critical of current Japanese xenophobia and on-going discriminatory practices, which include difficulties in access to housing, accommodation (hotels) and other commercial establishments open to the public (spas, bars, night-clubs, restaurants and others) based on physical appearance and myth, and bullying at school of foreign-looking children.http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?m=92.

Switzerland

During the 2007 Swiss federal election, the right-wing populist Swiss People\'s Party gained 29% of the seats in parliament, the highest any party of this type has achieved since World War I.Alexander H. Higgins. "Contradictions in Swiss Election". Retrieved on 2007-10-25.  The party was accused of increasing racism and xenophobic sentiment by publishing a controversial poster during its campaign, showing a white sheep kicking a black sheep off the Swiss flag. The poster was condemned by the United Nations."Right-Wing People\'s Party Win Swiss Elections", Deutsche Welle, 22-10-2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.  During the campaign the party also proposed a change to the penal code to allow judges to deport foreigners guilty of serious crimes once they have served their sentence. If the criminal is under the age of 18, the proposed law allows the entire criminal\'s family to be deported as soon as sentence is passed.Elaine Sciolino. "Far-right Swiss party divides nation on immigrant issue", International Herald Tribune, 7-10-2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-25.  If the bill passes into law, then it will be the first such law in Europe since the Sippenhaft law by the Nazis."Switzerland: Europe\'s heart of darkness?", The Independent, 07-09-2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-25.  The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) had already reported in 2003 on certain xenophobic incidents in Switzerland, ranging from police discrimination and misbehaviour towards members of certain minority groups, to an intolerant climate within society toward certain groups, particularly Africans and asylum seekers.European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (27-06-2003). "Third report on Switzerland". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-10-25.

Thailand

Any person in Thailand of a Caucasian appearance is often referred to as "farang", which some non-natives believe to be a slang word similar in context to "chink" or "nigger", or a dehumanising word such as "mongoloid". The origins of "farang" are much disputed and although most Thais claim the word to be "context neutral", it is still arguably xenophobic or racist when used as a generalisation.

However, the Thai national anthem (scored in 1932 by Peter Feit, son of a German immigrant and royal advisor for music to the Thai Court) is broadcast on loudspeakers twice per day throughout the country. It boasts of pride in the country\'s independence, and states that every Thai will give his or her last drop of blood to prevent a single inch of the country ever being ruled by an invader, which serves to support authority\'s desire to perpetuate the nationalistic mindset. This attitude was common for the period when the anthem was created and is understandable in the historical context of countries such as Britain and France "sabre-rattling" across Thailand\'s borders at each other. It is worth noting that the unsung verses of the UK\'s national anthem are equally as xenophobic as the Phleng Chat, if not more so.

Thewphaingarm School, in Bangkok, recently found itself the focus of unwanted international attention after holding a Nazi celebration day, with many of its students dressing up as Nazi stormtroopers, donning the swastika, and giving the "Sieg Heil" salute. Unfortunately the Thai students had not been sufficiently educated about globally accepted standards concerning such behaviour to understand that their actions might offend a large number of people.Wiesenthal centre demands action against Thai school

Sociobiological Explanation

The effects of xenophobia (dislike against the genetically dissimilar out-group and nepotistic favoritism towards the genetically similar in-group) are analyzed by many sociobiological researchers. Some see it as an innate biological response on the part of the evolved human organism in inter-group competition. In his famous book, The Ethnic Phenomenon, Pierre L. van den Berghe, anthropological professor of the University of Washington, discusses the concepts of kin selection, ethnic nepotism, and the biologically-rooted tendency of people that are more similar genetically to behave more generously toward each other. In Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing, author James Waller argues that all human beings "have an innate, evolution-produced tendency to seek proximity to familiar faces because what is unfamiliar is probably dangerous and should be avoided. More than two hundred social psychological experiments have confirmed the intimate connection between familiarity and fondness. This universal human tendency is the foundation for the behavioral expressions of ethnocentrism and xenophobia" (Oxford University Press, USA, 2002, p. 156). Frank Salter, an ethological researcher of the Max Planck Institute, deals with similar "taboo" topics in his controversial book, On Genetic Interests: Family, Ethnicity and Humanity in An Age of Mass Migration; this work has been praised by well-known sociobiology innovator E.O. Wilson as "a fresh and deep contribution to the sociobiology of humans." Salter posits an "innate group-descent module" in the human mind to explain the universal occurrence of ethnic nepotism. In Salter\'s view, favoritism towards one\'s own ethnicity is an evolutionarily-based "objective" value and, from a political science perspective, Salter proposes a "universal nationalism", in which all planetary ethnic-based communities or nations have the right to preserve their own heritage and distinctiveness.

See also

• Discrimination
• Intercultural competence
• Islamophobia
• Nationalism
• Nativism
• Pauline Hanson
• Racism
• Daily Mail
• Xenocide
• Xenophily
• Xenology
• Xenophobe
• Race and crime
• Tribalism

References

External links

• h2g2 Xenophobia Edited Guide Entry
• Stories of Culture and Living in Foreign Cultures Compiled by The Glimpse Foundation
• Nationalism and xenophobia in Russia, SOVA Center\'s reports and daily updates on xenophobia in Russia

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