Dictionary of Genocide - D Ank Unlimited

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Xenophobia. Like prejudice (e.g., racism, antisemitism), discrimination, and stereotyping,
xenophobia is based upon a false perception of the other—either individuals or groups—
and psychologically results in fear or heightened anxiety, and therefore intense dislike of
others, their specific group behaviors, and/or the unknown itself. Xenophobia may be
racial, religious, cultural, social, educational, or political, this last category most often
expressed by asserting that “the foreigners” are “aliens” who pose an ongoing threat to
both the society and its governmental stability. Actual exposure to the object group of
xenophobic dislike may or may not be linked to actual experience (e.g., hatred of Jews
and/or blacks by those who have never actually encountered such persons). Such fear, animosity,
and hate can, and often is, learned as a result of inculcation at home, among like
group members, church, or other organizations/settings. As have been the actual realities
with other forms of prejudice and discrimination, when the xenophobic group finds itself
in a position of power, be it governmental, military, social, or economic, and the perceived
threat is escalated, behaviors may range from mild forms of discrimination (e.g., exclusion
of others in social or educational settings) to desecrations and vandalism of the other
group’s buildings, to violent abuse of the other group members, to murder, to genocide.
Xenophobic Genocide. Xenophobic genocide stems from the perception by a genocidal
regime that a designated out-group (e.g., a particular group of people that is perceived as
dangerous and/or worthless) is totally alien, and hence needs to be dealt with as an
implacable foe. It is, by definition, an exaggerated fear largely based more on fantasy than
on fact. The fear can originate from many quarters, such as religion, ethnicity, or “race.” At
the heart of xenophobia lies a deep suspicion of the foreigner, the alien, the real or imagined
enemy. It is also a common phenomenon in the context of extreme nationalism.
A variety of factors can create the sense of an impregnable wall between groups.
Language can be a factor, as can economic rivalry and cultural customs, traditions, and
mores, though none of these are necessarily accountable for a xenophobic stance as the
latter is often the result of a commixture of motives, including the distant and/or recent
history of the two groups’ interactions.
Xenophobia can, and often has, played a role vis-à-vis genocide. Xenophobia is everpresent
in an extreme climate of intolerance of the “different,” of others who threaten to
“invade” and “infiltrate” one’s society and undermine one’s culture, which is perceived as
“pure” and “holy”—a heritage to be defended from its enemies. As such, this state of mind