Tag: Xenophilia

By Bilal Qudisat Xenophobia and racism are difficult to oppose since these phenomena are subject to transformations and often become confused. Interestingly, however, unlike racism and other related notions, xenophobia has an antonym: Xenophilia, meaning sympathy for the stranger. Thus, xenophobia can be considered as the opposite of hospitality. In a variety of historical situations, foreigners have been marked out as not belonging to the political community. Yet, embodying different characters – the merchant, the pilgrim, the beggar, the fairground stallholder – they held a designed place among local citizens...