Xenophobia Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Xenophobia has come to be defined as the fear of foreigners. Etymologically, xenophobia can be broken down into the Greek terms xenos (stranger) and phobos (fear). In common usage xenophobia refers to a disdain for individuals or groups of persons that are different from oneself. This dislike can range from simple rude comments to much more dangerous forms of intolerance. Therefore, the term can have varying levels of sever ity in the amount of the fear of the foreign population, as well as in how this fear is manifested in thought and action. Several examples of both state and nonstate manifestations of xenophobia are warranted.

Immigrant groups are often subjected to xenophobic attitudes of existent populations in countries around the world. If a historical view is taken, it can be remembered that during the colonial periods colonists often held xenophobic views of native populations. In each of these cases, individuals and groups frequently associated cultural and ethnic stereotypes with the feared groups. This practice exacerbated cultural misunderstandings and has only served to increase the levels of narrow-mindedness that enter into these groups’ interactions in everyday life, as well as in social and political institutions.

Whole societies have experienced times in which xenophobia was ostensibly state governmental policy. Japan from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries is a prime example of this policy. During this period almost all foreigners and foreign influences were removed or banned from the country. While this policy ended in the mid-nineteenth century, it serves as a stark representation of xenophobia as governmental policy.

However, most xenophobia is not expressed through governmental policy. It is usually articulated on a more direct, personal level. An example of this type of xenophobia can be found in the successive waves of immigrants to New York City in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Each new population of immigrants was subject to the xenophobic attitudes of the present inhabitants, many of whom also had immigrated recently and had been subject to xenophobia themselves. This xenophobia expressed itself through epithets, violence, and general discrimination, such as the “Irish need not apply” signs found in many shops.

In more recent times, immigration has continued to be a source of xenophobia. In the United States, for example, many groups have come together to protest illegal immigration, primarily from Latin America. Many observers have noted the xenophobic messages hidden superficially below the surface of the rhetoric in such publications and on such Web sites.

There are also many instances of xenophobia existing within the boundaries of one country, but among different factions, cultural minorities, or regional populations. For example, the Kurds of northern Iraq, as a population, have experienced xenophobic policies from governmental entities as well as a general social climate of xenophobia from other social and religious groups in that country. These exclusionary policies and less formal prejudices, for example, have contributed to the splintering of Iraq.

As countries experience increasing levels of social, political, and economic interdependence, the world is becoming ever more multicultural. This elevated level of interaction among diverse members of different communities may lead to a more tolerant and socially beneficent global population. Many signs indicate that the world is on the march to less xenophobia because of this increased contact and integration. However, many trends point to the unfortunate fact that xenophobia will continue to exist because of increased competition for resources, commerce, and political power.

The relative levels of xenophobia in and among countries are difficult to directly quantify. However, measures that investigate levels of perceived discrimination and the number of hate crimes in a population (although many countries do not yet have adequate tracking systems) can provide transferable evidence of the persistence of xenophobia. For example, a 2008 study by Human Rights First revealed that Finland, Ireland, the Slovak Republic, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States showed moderate to high rises in the overall numbers of hate crimes in 2006 and 2007. Further, evidence of the problem of xenophobia was addressed in conferences sponsored by the United Nations in 2001 and 2009.

The future of xenophobia as a human condition is unlikely to end. This, of course, is a sad report on human relations that people fear what is not directly familiar to themselves and their normal experiences. One can only hope that the future will provide increased opportunities for diverse groups and populations to share their cultural traditions in an atmosphere of genuine interest in the other and mutual respect for them and their ways of life.

Bibliography:

Human Rights First. 2008 Hate Crime Survey: Racism and Xenophobia, 2008, www.humanrightsfirst.org/discrimination/reports.aspx?q=print&s=racism-and xenophobia&p=racvio.
Roemer, John E.,Woojin Lee, and Karine Van Straeten. Racism, Xenophobia, and Distribution: Multi-issue Politics in Advanced Democracies. New York: Russell Sage. 2007.
Saideman, Stephen M., and R.William Ayres. For Kin or Country: Xenophobia, Nationalism, and War. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.
Taras, Ray. Europe Old and New: Transnationalism, Belonging, Xenophobia. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2009.
Wistrich, Robert S. Demonizing the Other: Antisemitism, Racism, and Xenophobia. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic, 1999.

This example Xenophobia Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only. If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services. EssayEmpire.com offers reliable custom essay writing services that can help you to receive high grades and impress your professors with the quality of each essay or research paper you hand in.