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Essay on
“Xenophobic sentiments in the West and their impacts.”

Outline:
1. Introduction
2. The shift of immigrants towards the politically and economically stable countries
3. Politico-economic dynamics of the world
4. Shift of TNCs from the West into East Asian countries and weakening of Western
economies.
5. Resentment against the immigrants, and Muslims on account of cultural variance.
6. Impact of the xenophobia and Islamophobia in the West
7. The ‘Generation Identity’ in Europe
8. Is diversity or the mere existence of different cultures in the western world a threat to the
western cultural identity?
9. Socio-economic justice as a recipe for socio-political stability
10. Safeguarding the multi-civilizational character of the socio-cultural landscape of the
globe.

Thesis statement: Resentment against the immigrants is on the increase in the Western
countries partially on account of their declining economies and partially due to the ever-increasing
incoming of the immigrants. However, difference of cultural values particularly of the Muslim
immigrants which resulted in Islamophobia is not a threat to western cultural identity.
On account of shortage of young working force viz a viz the demand in the industrialized
West particularly Europe, America, Canada, and Australia there has been a continuous movement
of immigrants from the developing world to these economically better of countries since the 1970s
onward. However, the influx of immigrants from African countries into Europe multiplied on
account of civil wars and downward trend of economies due to lowering of oil prices from the oil
dependent countries in their countries at the onset of the current century. This phenomenon was
also to avoid climatic droughts and widespread hunger and disease in some of the countries
particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (The UN Development Program lists 46 of Africa's 54 countries
as “sub-Saharan,” excluding Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, and
Tunisia. Geographically these are in the South of Sahara desert). But civil wars in Libya and
Somalia also forced the people to leave their countries for stable Europe by crossing the
Mediterranean mostly illegally. Civil wars in Syria and Iraq in the past along with Afghanistan
also caused the colossal exit of immigrants from these countries heading towards safe and
prosperous heavens in Europe. Immigrants from adjoining Mexico and other Latin American
countries particularly from Venezuela also moved into the USA both legally and illegally for
economic reasons. Opening up of jobs by the IT industry like Microsoft, Facebook and google like
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setups in the USA also attracted IT professionals from China, India like countries mostly in Seattle
and Silicon Valley of USA.
However, the world witnessed a phenomenal increase in globalization of economies
particularly1980 after the introduction of Market reforms in China accordingly the movement of
capital and Trans National Corporations (TNCs) from this Western Industrialized world into
China, India, and ASEAN. This shift of investment from the United States and Western European
countries towards East Asia occurred due to low labor, input cost, and tax concessions involved in
the Eastern nations. With the movement of these TNCs jobs also reduced in the parent countries.
This caused a kind of resentment against the immigrants. The variance of cultural values
particularly attached to the Muslim diaspora also happened to be an unwelcoming feature notably
in USA, France, and UK.
UK being a member of EU also confronted another situation. Being the member of EU, it
received proportional immigrants from comparatively poor East European countries into the UK.
This influx and already living immigrants from the Common Wealth countries coupled with 2007-
8 economic turmoil and non-supporting economy of UK created resentment in the people of the
UK forcing it to vote of Brexit and xenophobic sentiments. The joblessness in the USA after
shifting of TNCs from America to China and subsequent unfavorable balance of trade with China
also created anti-immigrants emotions in the USA. This resentment against the Mexican
immigrants and Latinos was also felt in the USA as they were in huge number taking advantage
of contiguity of the Mexican border and Latin America. Republican candidate Donald Trump took
advantage of this anti-immigrant’ sentiment during the election campaign and won the elections.
Historically speaking xenophobic sentiments are not new in the world. People from the
poor and politically disturbed countries have been moving towards the economically and
politically stable states. There have been accordingly backlashes in the form of resentment in the
host countries. In America Congress passed a law in 1882 banning Chinese immigrants. U.S
immigration act 1924 prohibited nonwhite immigrants to enter America. Subsequently many got
nationality of America. Even at present 13%, Americans are foreign-born. In Sweden, this figure
is 19%, Germany 11%, and Italy 8.5%. These migrants flow towards rich countries seems to be
rising in the future. According to a Gallup survey, around 14% of the world adults want to migrate
to other countries. Consequents of climate change may be adding fuel to the fire. This exodus will
be mainly from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Though sometimes immigrants are unwanted, in most of the cases, they are required as well
to add to the young workforce in the face of the aging population, a phenomenon of western
European countries. The appetite for the immigrants is also generated due to a shortage of available
highly skilled workforce, as happened in the IT industry of the United States since 1990 onward.
In America, this appetite at present stands at 28% against 7% in 1965.

The loss of jobs in America and Western European countries due to the mass shift of
companies to East Asia created a kind of political unrest in the western nations. The backlash of
this was observed in the form of anti-immigrant sentiments as the natives not only considered them
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the equivalent of snatching jobs from them but a threat to their cultural identity and values. These
xenophobic sentiments gave way to identity politics, the political manifestation of which we
observed in the form of winning of elections by the right-wing populist parties in six out of 28
European Union countries. The establishment of the organization like ‘Generation Identity’ quite
active in France, UK, and Italy is in this background. This organization is being considered White
and Europeans vs. the Muslims and the immigrants. It voice for ‘Islam out of Europe’ and
remigration of all immigrants from Europe, and want practically ‘ethnic cleansing.’ These
identitarians support national front a right-wing populist and nationalist political party of France.
When we analyze the subject of political dynamism, we find both cultural identities and
economy playing an important role but economic considerations dominating. We see this
happening during the colonial era expansionism by the imperialist powers of Europe during the
18th century onward. Then fighting among themselves in the form of world war 1st and 2nd that
is within the same Western civilization. There was the formation of NATO on one side, and the
Warsaw Pact on the other respectively lead by America and the Soviet Union in the mid-20th
century. This was all economic at the base in disguise of politics. Even at present, all political
overtures around us are dictated by the economics, for instance, the exodus of Venezuelans,
Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, and civil wars going on in Syria and Yemen between Shia and
Sunni Muslims, and before that in Iraq. There have been ‘black lives matter’ movement in
America. It is still there to some extent as some black believe that their socio-economic rights are
not duly protected as provided under American law. It may look religious, ethnic or linguistic in
origin but in-depth overwhelmingly all these conflicts are deep-rooted in economic considerations.
That is either exploiting some other communities or getting rid of other’s exploitation.
Maximization of profits has always been there in the business entrepreneurs. To get the
Social welfare programs established employees had to fight for a long time. In most of the cases
where the writ of the governments is weak, as in the developing countries, such facilities are still
denied to the employees even though provided under the law. This all happened and happens in
total disregard to any ethnic or cultural affiliation.
The United States happened to be a comparatively more immigrant welcoming country at
present. That is for the reason that its foundations were laid down by the immigrants. Since these
were white immigrants from Europe almost sharing the same cultural values, therefore they
exhibited resentment only against the nonwhites at occasions. However, America benefited from
this diversity as well and is still profiting by inviting immigrants when it needs so as happened in
the case of IT immigrants from China and India during the last 20 years to establish the IT giants
like Microsoft, Facebook, and Google.
Cultural identity is a powerful socio-psychological force origination from peoples’ infelt urge
and demand for recognition. But this urge in no way has the prerogative to exploit those who don’t
belong to the same class. If we accept this, then there will be no one safe in this world. Man
unfortunately mostly refused to learn this lesson. That is why human history is blood bathed
throughout its pages.
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As regards general xenophobia in the West, we see that there has been an assimilation of
immigrants and merger of civilization as well. It is a matter of common observation that dominant
cultures which are economically and militarily strong create a significant impact on other
civilizations. For instance, British during their colonial era of 18th and 19th centuries cast a
considerable effect on the native cultures. We see the impact of the same till today. English as a
language right from Canada, United States, to Australia and New Zealand all the way passing
through the Indian subcontinent, the dress, the music, the eating habits, all owe its origin in
England.
The cultural identity crisis in the United States or the West is not that much severe as the
immigrants do not constitute more than 25% of the population. Moreover, after the second
generation, most of the immigrants get assimilated into the native culture. It is in this context that
some universities in America use the phrase that ‘America is a melting pot.’ However, immigrants,
who are in high number do keep their cultural identities intact and prefer to mix up with their
cultural inmates but in no way put any threat to America or the West till the rule of law, and socio-
economic justice is the mainstay of their governance. This made the West as the most politically
stable communities of the world, meaning thereby that constituent cultures or diverse religious
orientations can never pose any threat to any political entity unless its governance is not partisan
or discriminative to any of its constituent community.
The major areas of concern in the West, particularly America and Western Europe at the
moment, are a loss of jobs due to the economic downturn of their economies, and incoming of
variant cultures along with the immigrants. They must understand that the decline of economies
and the resultant loss of jobs is not due to the immigrants. That is on account of the flight of capital
and TNCs from their countries towards Asian emerging economies. The best way to cope with this
scenario is to go to their core competent areas, i.e. scientific and technological research and
industries based on that.
As regards immigrants they entered into the western countries when they needed them in the
past on account of their rapid industrialization. Just imagine could the United States enjoy the
dividends of the technological and innovative supremacy which emerged from Microsoft,
Facebook, Apple, Google, and Amazon like giants without the contribution of Asian diaspora?
Even the British industrial growth in the fields of textile and other industries in the twentieth
century owes its success to the import of Labor from the Common Wealth countries. So much so
its victory in the World War I and II would have been much difficult had the recruits from the
colonies particularly from the Indian subcontinent thousands in number not sacrificed their lives
on the Burma and Egyptian fronts. Before that during the First World War, who could deny that
more than 60 thousands causalities in the Gallipoli campaign against the Ottomans in Turkey were
all Australian, New Zealanders and Indian?
As regards safeguarding the values and cultural heritage I believe that the survival of the West
must not construe with its conflict and clash with other civilizations particularly the Islamic one,
rather it depends on reaffirming their western identity, considering their civilization as unique but
not universal, and accepting and cooperating to maintain the multi-civilizational character of
global socio-cultural landscape.
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