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Foreign/Foreigness

The unfamiliar is considered to be foreign. Oftentimes, people or groups describe other people or groups as foreign if they perceive them to be different from themselves. The own group can be defined as a religious, national or cultural group and is often perceived to be homogenous. The aversion against people who are considered to be foreign, different from one’s own group, is called xenophobia. This term is problematic because it describes hostile behaviour towards people who are considered to be outside of a perceived “I” or “we”, which is the definition of racism. By using the term xenophobia instead of racism, the victims are actually rendered foreign and different and are thereby excluded once more.