The term xenophobia derives from the union of two Ancient Greek words – ξένος (xénos), meaning stranger or guest and φόβος (phobos), meaning fear or repulsion. Nowadays, it is used to describe an indiscriminate feeling of fear and hatred resulting in intolerant and hostile behaviour towards those who are categorised as foreigners from a national, ethnic, cultural, or religious point of view (Sinophobia, Judeophobia, Islamophobia, etc.). Just like the concept of racism, with which it is often associated and of which it may be considered a less morally reprehensible version, that of xenophobia also has a relatively recent history.
Quassoli, F. (2025). Xenophobia. In L. Oso, N. Ribas-Mateos, M. Moralli (a cura di), Elgar Encyclopedia of Global Migration: New Mobilities and Artivism (pp. 591-592). Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. [10.4337/9781035300389.ch196].
Xenophobia
Quassoli F.
Primo
2025
Abstract
The term xenophobia derives from the union of two Ancient Greek words – ξένος (xénos), meaning stranger or guest and φόβος (phobos), meaning fear or repulsion. Nowadays, it is used to describe an indiscriminate feeling of fear and hatred resulting in intolerant and hostile behaviour towards those who are categorised as foreigners from a national, ethnic, cultural, or religious point of view (Sinophobia, Judeophobia, Islamophobia, etc.). Just like the concept of racism, with which it is often associated and of which it may be considered a less morally reprehensible version, that of xenophobia also has a relatively recent history.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
