The Stranger: On Xenophobia

Abstract

<p>For many of us, the events of 9/11 served as a violent birth into a new era. In subsequent years, we have witnessed a mechanical vacillation between reaction and revenge in the domain of politics, at a time where terrorism and counter-terrorism are virtually indistinct. September 11^th was by no means the genesis of xenophobia, but it has been complicit in the production of a global climate where an understanding of xenophobic logic is increasingly relevant.</p> <p>In this thesis, I begin with an analysis of the conceptual anatomy of xenophobia and its relation to ideas of sameness and difference, identity, selfhood, “Otherness” and community. In the second chapter, I provide a taxonomy of xenophobia, differentiating this “exclusive” mode of prejudice from “inclusive” modes. I analyze contemporary manifestations of xenophobia under this framework. In the final chapter, I conclude with an exploration of the manner in which communities may be re-envisioned, in order to avoid identity-essentialism and encourage freedom of action in the political domain.</p>