Noun (Click on the speech icon to hear the pronunciation of the word [zen-uh-foh-bee-uh]
 Noun—A fear of foreigners or strangers
Getting a job as a greeter with the United Nations is probably not the
best career option for someone who suffers from xenophobia, a fear
of foreigners or strangers.
Xenophobia has its roots in fear — literally. Phobia comes from the Greek word meaning
"fear." Given that the fear in question is of strangers, it makes sense that xeno- comes from
the Greek word for — you guessed it — "stranger, foreigner." In the case of xenophobia, the
fear is irrational. Someone who is xenophobic might distrust a neighbor he's never met, or a
sheikh who lives halfway around the world. Xenophobia is like racism, but instead of fearing
or distrusting people because of the color of their skin, you fear or distrust them because of
their nationality, or because they are — or seem — foreign to you.
Other forms:: xenophobic, Xenophon, xenophobian


Near Synonyms: nationalism, bigotry, isolationism, racism, ethnocentrism, jingoism, ethnocentricity

Antonyms: xenomania, xenophilia, xenophily
Usage:
“This xenophobia is a remarkably constant feature of eighteenth-century satire on ‘taste.’” (From The Man
of Taste)

“Acute attacks of xenophobia often caused riots in the city.” (From St. Augustin)

“Mild strands of paranoid xenophobia permeate public discourse in central Europe and, even more
so, in east Europe.” (From The Belgium Curtain: Europe after Communism)
DIRECTIONS: Discuss the meaning of the word with your students, with special emphasis on any
variations or nuances of the word specific to your discipline. Consider taking it a step further by using
one or all of the following ideas as you involve students with the new vocabulary. Remember to
preview all content you intend to share with students. Not all items on the lists provided
below are appropriate for all classes or age levels.
#1 Translations










Brazilian Portuguese: xenofobia
Chinese: 排外情绪排外情绪緒
European Spanish: xenofobia
French: xénophobie
German: Fremdenfeindlichkeit
Italian: xenofobia
Japanese: 外国人嫌い
Korean: 외국인 혐오
Portuguese: xenofobia
Spanish: xenofobia
#2 Political Cartoons—The Red Scare of the 1920s
Read this article on immigration from 18701920 and then “read” the related political
cartoons.
http://voices.yahoo.com/immigration1870-1920-nativist-xenophobia379741.html
Discuss the meaning of these political
cartoons (3 total) from the 1920s with your
students.
Consider having them use the OPTIC
strategy for reading a visual.
Or have them complete an Acrostic using
the term Red Scare or Xenophobia for a
challenge. Fill in the acrostic with
information they can glean from the
cartoons.
#3 Political Cartoons, more recent (5 total)
Published June 2008
“The political violence in Zimbabwe
has approached unprecedented levels
not seen since the early 80's,
#4 Xenophobia Wordle
Show this Wordle to students and have them each pick out the ten words that they think are most
important to understanding the concept of xenophobia. For each word, have them write a sentence or
two explaining its significance to the concept. As a small group or whole class, try to create a list of the
top ten words, encouraging students to think critically and argue persuasively for their choices.
#5
Check out this autobiography of Christopher Lee. “From the cult classic The Wicker
Man to the blood–thirsty Count Dracula, Christopher Lee has been the face of
cinema villainy for decades. In Lord of Misrule, Lee tells the story of his exceptional
career, in films like The Curse of Frankenstein, the James Bond classic The Man
with the Golden Gun, and more recently, in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.After
appearing in more than 300 films, and a legend in his own right, Lee undertook
one of the most demanding roles of his career as Saruman in Peter
Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings. Shortly after, as one of the most powerful
adversaries in the Star Wars canon, Lee proved that at 80, he is still a commanding
screen presence. Written with self–deprecating wit and laced with hilarious
anecdotes, Lord of Misrule is a marvelous career history of the man The
Guardian called “the coolest actor on the planet.”
Discuss this excerpt from the book: “I learned early that the one truly
international quality among people of all races is xenophobia.” ―
Christopher Lee
Ask students how this might be true, and how it might be both good and bad.
http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Misrule-The-Autobiography-Christopher/dp/0752857703/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1396625304&sr=88&keywords=the+lord+of+misrule
#6
Xenophobia in America
4 min., 5 sec.
Uploaded on Oct 5, 2010
Protests against the construction of new mosques, illegal
immigration, and economic reform, point to xenophobic
tendencies building up in America. Ethnic minorities and Muslims
in the US are being targeted as "the other."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhzC5aJf8W0
#7
Xenophobia in South Africa: Life at The Bluewaters
Refugee Camp
Uploaded on Jul 17, 2010
Global Nomads Group visits the Bluewaters Refugee Camp
outside of Cape Town, South Africa, to speak with it's inhabitants,
the victims of the May 2008 xenophobic attacks. Background: In
May 2008 mobs of poor South Africans attacked immigrants,
refugees, and asylum-seekers for fear that they would take their
jobs and resources. The violence killed more than 60 people and
displaced over 100, 000 from their homes.
4 min., 2 sec.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_PHRPrruY
#8 “Do Wild Bats Hold the Key to Understanding Human Tribal
Behavior?”
Read this article published in the Scientific American on July 12, 2012 for an interesting discussion of
what studying animal behaviors can tell us about ourselves. About 14 lines down, the author states:
“Xenophobia and the tribalism it incites are at the root of wars.”
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/WSS/post.php?blog=49&post=3642
#9 “The Behavioral Immune System”
Read this article published in the Scientific American on June 14, 2011 about “how
unconscious fears of infection shape many aspects of our psychology.” In the fifth
paragraph, the author, Mark Schaller, states that “in recent years, my collaborators
and I have found that these disease-avoidant psychological processes contribute to
prejudices against people who are disabled, obese, or old. These same processes also
contribute to ethnocentrism and xenophobia.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-behavioral-immune-system/
#10
“In a Globalized World, Are Invasive Species a Thing of the Past?”
Published at Time.com by Bryan Walsh on June 14, 2011
“There's an illegal immigrant cruising its way up the
Mississippi River. The Asian carp — a common name for
a few separate but similar species of carp — was
imported into the U.S. by Midwestern fish farmers in the
1970s.

The author states that “though the concern about the
carp is rooted in fact, there's also an element
of xenophobia to the big public reaction to the fish. Not
only are Asian carp possibly dangerous, they're an alien,
invasive species. Quite simply, they shouldn't be there.
Invasive plants and animals are viewed as the enemy of
nature, outsiders that wreck the balance of the
environment and muscle out beloved native species.”


http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2077582,00.html?xid=rsshealth&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Fscienceandhealth+%28
TIME%3A+Top+Science+Stories%29
Watch the related video: “At the annual Redneck Fishing Tournament in Bath, Illinois, put down the pole and grab a
net, because these fish will come to you...fast! “ (6 min., 2 sec.)

http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,541363358001_2010246,00.html
#11 “Small Business Advice: How to Overcome Cultural Misconceptions
and Xenophobia”
Read this article published in The Washington Post on December 17, 2013 by Manpreet Singh. Singh
is “the founder and president of SevaCall, a Washington, D.C.-based startup that helps consumers
find high quality professionals in minutes. He is also a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council
(YEC), an organization comprised of promising young entrepreneurs.
Singh asserts in this article that “Overcoming xenophobia is really just a branding challenge, but it’s
an extremely challenging one,” and then he offers “four tips that [he believes]can strengthen minority
and immigrant business branding efforts, and they revolve around two important elements: education
and multifaceted storytelling.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/small-business-advice-how-to-overcome-culturalmisconceptions-and-xenophobia/2013/12/13/4415936e-6429-11e3-91b3f2bb96304e34_story.html?wprss=rss_business
#12
“Goal: The New York Times Soccer Blog”
Read this article (and watch the accompanying slide show) entitled “U.S. Open Cup:
Early Years” by Ted Westervelt, published on May 2, 2013 in The New York Times. This
is the first of a series on the U.S. Open Cup.
“The author, Ted Westervelt, spent 15 years in politics before he began to passionately promote
American soccer history, promotion and relegation, and independence for U.S. clubs.”
In his article, Westervelt asserts that “the first 99 years
of U.S. Open Cup history are not only the story of
American club soccer. It is the story of the modern
United States.” He also asserts that “American soccer
players, clubs and supporters have always faced
adversity: xenophobia, discrimination, ignorance and
disrespect.”

Part 1 of this slide-show series — 1914 to 1938 — defines
the tournament.

http://goal.blogs. nytimes.com/2013/05/02/u-s-open-cupearly-years/?_php=true&_type=blogs&partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
#13 “Higher Education Needs to Build Global Learning
Communities”
 In this article published in the Guardian on May 23, 2012, authors
Patrick Blessinger and Olga Kovbasyuk assert that “universities must
do more to help students develop as global citizens. Virtual global
learning communities could be the answer.” They state that "conflicts
and xenophobia that exist in the world suggest the inability of some
people to construct effective interactions."
http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2012/may/23/global-virtual-learning-environments
#14 The Phobia List
Just for fun, check out this list of the many different types of phobias that are out there—including
xenophobia.
http://www.phobialist.com/#X-