Negrophobia

Lexicology

The term Negrophobia consists of two components: negro and phobia. As such, it literally derives from "fear of black", from Spanish and Portuguese: negro, "black" and from Greek: φόβος, phóbos, "fear"). Other terms with similar meanings include antiblackness and blackophobia However, some publishers have discouraged designating individuals as blackophobes or negrophobes and rather highlight the general epithet that is usually applied to racists.

Although melanophobia is sometimes confused with Negrophobia, the term is more commonly applied to situations involving inanimate objects that are very dark or black. Negrophobia is also distinct from Afrophobia, which is a perceived fear of the various cultures and peoples of Africa and the African diaspora irrespective of racial origin. Unlike Negrophobia, Afrophobia is thus essentially a cultural rather than a racial phenomenon.

Overview

There are differences in the senses that are applied to negrophobes or the noun negrophobia. Some senses use the term to describe discriminatory sentiment towards people who may identify with the black race. This sense adopts the notion that a person with negrophobia believes his or her race is superior over the black race with xenophobia. However an alternative definition stays true to the original clinical meaning of the suffix phobia. Thereby negrophobia is not associated with racism, but rather is associated with those who fear the black race. In July 2010, a segment on negrophobia was featured on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.

Some, such as psychiatrist Frantz Fanon, assert that negrophobia is a form of "trauma for white people of the Negro".