Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia

Author George Makari is joined by Brett Kahr to discuss his latest publication, Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia.

Over the last few years, it has been impossible to ignore the steady resurgence of xenophobia. The European migrant crisis and immigration from Central America to the United States have placed Western advocates of globalization on the defensive, and a ‘New Xenophobia’ seems to have emerged out of nowhere.

In this fascinating study, George Makari traces the history of xenophobia from its origins to the present day. Often perceived as an ancient word for a timeless problem, ‘xenophobia’ was in fact only coined a century ago, tied to heated and formative Western debates over nationalism, globalization, race and immigration. From Richard Wright to Sigmund Freud, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, writers and thinkers have long grappled with this most dangerous of phobias. Drawing on their work, Makari demonstrates how we can better understand the problem that is so crucial to our troubled times.

“This important study by psychiatrist and historian Makari does not pull its punches.” – Martin Chilton, The Independent

‘Drawing on philosophy, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines, George Makari’s beautiful writing delivers a strikingly original history using words and phrases as clues to be examined: xenophobia, stranger-anxiety, fear of others, and so on. A sheer delight to read, this book is a gift for all.’ – Zia Haider Rahman, author of In the Light of What We Know

‘George Makari shows that xenophobia is as relevant today as it was when this word first originated, and that so much of our hatred is often rooted in fear of outsiders, this notion of inside and outside groups that we create. As we see a rise of identity politics across the world, it becomes imperative to understand this fear, how political discourses and agendas feed into it, and what we can do about it. This insightful, timely and cogently argued book puts current global politics into perspective.’ – Pragya Agarwal, author of Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias

George Makari is a psychiatrist, historian, and author, most recently of Soul Machine: The Invention of the Modern Mind. He is Director of the DeWitt Wallace Institute and Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Brett Kahr is Senior Fellow at the Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology in London, as well as Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis and Mental Health in the Regent’s School of Psychotherapy and Psychology at Regent’s University London. He also holds the post of Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Media and Communication at Bournemouth University, linked to the Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion and Social Justice. Kahr first worked at the Freud Museum back in 1986, and, subsequently, he became one of the museum’s Trustees. His books include Life Lessons from Freud; Coffee with Freud; and, most recently, Dangerous Lunatics: Trauma, Criminality, and Forensic Psychotherapy. He is currently completing an intellectual biography of Freud for the “Routledge Historical Biographies” series.

Buy the Book

Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia (2021) is available from the Freud Museum Shop. Worldwide shipping available. Pick up your copy now >>