The term ethnic cleansing has been tossed around a lot lately. But not many people are explaining what it means. So in this article, you will find out its definition and examples of its uses.
Ethnic cleansing is just the worst, isn’t it? (hint: it is.)
This happens when, as Merriam-Webster puts it:
“The expulsion, imprisonment, or killing of an ethnic minority by a dominant majority in order to achieve ethnic homogeneity.”
In laymen’s terms, ethnic cleansing is pretty much a dominant ethnic group coming into another nation and tries to remove the original ethnic group from that land via deportation, displacement, evictions, mass killing, or whitewashing.
Additionally, the ones who “cleanse” will also turn the land they attack into their own nation. They will remove the original laws, cultures, and traditions, and replace them with their own.
They pretty much jack the land and turn the original occupants into second-class citizens.
Right now, you may be thinking that all of this is B.S. and isn’t actually a thing. If you are thinking that, you are completely incorrect. Ethnic cleansing has happened throughout history and it is still happening now.
Exhibit: A
Don’t believe me? Take a look at what’s currently happening to Palestinians in Israel.
What the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinian citizens living in that region is one of the best examples of modern-day ethnic cleansing.
Exhibit: B
If you’re still not a believer, here’s another example – the Crusaders from the late 11th century.
The Crusaders were a military group organized by western European Christians who ravaged non-Christian populations.
Their goal was to decrease the number of non-Christian groups on Earth by either converting as many people as possible or by destroying (or killing) these groups off.
They were involved in many bloody wars that resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands (possibly more) of Muslims, Jews and other non-Christian groups.
However, the Crusaders did lose the battle in the end, so take that, ya homicidal killers!
Still don’t believe me that ethnic cleansing is real, you stubborn, ignorant person, you?
Exhibit: C
Here’s another example of a relatively recent event of ethnic cleansing: residential schools in Canada in the 19th century.
These schools, no matter what people say, were meant to make First Nations peoples European. They forced students to not practice their own cultures and traditions, such as speak their native tongue. And if they did, well, they would be punished.
The students were only allowed to behave as Europeans did -which I’m sure was horrible because back then they had to be all proper and European and whatnot- and were only allowed to speak English.
If this isn’t whitewashing of an ethnicity, then I don’t know what is.
READ MORE: What is anthropology?
Look, throughout history, ethnic cleansing has been a tactic to dominate minority cultures and religions. And with the current conflict in Israel, we can see that it is still being utilized.
It’s a cruel and racist practice that needs to stop.
But will it?