George Makari writes in Chapter 5, “Colonial Panic”:
“Between 1900 and 1914, xenophobia rapidly spread across Europe, for it helped Western expansionists justify themselves as they fell into conflict with their hosts abroad. We came to you as innocent foreigners. You attacked us. We brought civilization and progress. You were irrational and intolerant. Thus the concept of xenophobia went to work for expanding Western empires.” (Makari 2021, 70)
Makari’s perspective in this quote briefly analyzes how xenophobia was perpetuated through colonialism, tribalism, and the spread of Western empires. What is an example in the world that reflects similar problems concerning intolerance? How have you experienced or seen this unfold in your community?
