What is NATIVISM and its characteristics

One of the most common beliefs in countries is the nationalism, being the thought that the nation itself is the only important thing, so it is the natives themselves who should have the greatest rights and freedoms. A major examples of nationalism is nativism, being the doctrine that defends the preference of the natives against foreign people. And to understand this movement in this lesson of a Teacher we must talk about what is nativism and its characteristics.

The nativism is an ideology or political and social thought based on the defense of the interests of the autochthonous or native against foreign immigrants who may arrive in the region. Therefore, we can say that nativism is a doctrine very close to the fight against immigration.

Generally, there is a tendency to relate the nativism with nationalism, since the two concepts are born from the idea of ​​protecting one's own culture and defending the nation above all other things, because both ideologies they consider that foreigners are a problem and that people born in their own region should always be considered before the rest of the world. world.

As a general rule, nativism is closely linked with extreme right currents or of the so-called populist right, since they try to postulate their ideas according to the defense of the natives and the fight against immigrants, whom they consider enemies. Generally, these right-wing political parties use nativism to hide their true racist and xenophobic reasoning.

To understand this ideology we must comment on some of its main characteristics, since this will help us to better understand what the main elements of these beliefs are. The main characteristics of nativism are the following:

• Put the natives first, because he considers that they are the most important people and those who should have the greatest number of privileges and rights.
• He is against immigration. since he considers that the nation should belong to the natives, and that any immigrant is stealing things from people who should have them because of their origin.
• One of its main actions is usually the restrict immigration, since they consider that only in this way can a state function by and for the natives.
• Usually linked to right-wing populism, since it seeks to divide society into two large groups, immigrants and natives, defending the latter so that they are the ones who hate immigrants for invented reasons.
• Is a nationalist ideology, due to the fact that it focuses on the fact that the most important thing is the nation itself, rejecting any collaboration with another nation, and seeking a closure of borders.
• Is a racist and xenophobic ideology, since it considers that any immigrant and person from outside the nation itself is a problem, rejecting the different just because they were not born in the same area.
• It is based on a series of populist foundations easily manipulated to change people's opinion, as it seeks to create a side full of nativists.

To continue with this lesson on what is nativism and its characteristics, we must talk about some examples of nativism, to observe the nations where this ideology has taken place, and the consequences it brought.

Examples of nativism are as follows:

• Nativism had a presence in European nations such as Germany, France and UK during the 90's. In the case of the Germans and French, nativism was oriented towards the Islamic population, while in the case of the English it was directed towards Europeans who went to work on the islands.
• One of the countries with the greatest presence of nativism was USA, which have historically faced the arrival of immigrants to the nation. It could be said that it is one of the few nations that Currently they still maintain the ideals of nativism. Among the population that has suffered from nativism we can speak of Chinese immigrants, Mexicans and even African-American people born in the same country and who, therefore, should not be considered immigrants.
• India and Pakistan they have suffered great cases of nativism, especially because of the clashes they have had over the decades.
• In Brazil nativism was linked to the fact that the Brazilian elite wanted to whiten the Brazilian population, creating confrontations between the elite and the black indigenous population, and causing both sides to believe in nativism albeit in different ways.
• Hong Kong and China they also have strong beliefs of nativism, caused by the territorial disputes that took place and continue to take place in the area, causing clashes between the Chinese and the Hong Kong population.