Xenophobia, the fear or dislike of strangers, can be seen throughout the course of history in the form of communal riots, racist attacks, religious hatred and genocide. This article traces the changes in xenophobic thinking over the past three decades and examines the unexplored relationship of xenophobia with power and capitalism. It shows how changes in capitalism have altered the construction of the stranger, defi nes xenophobia in terms of structures of power, and argues for a re-conceptualisation of "civil" and new forms of xenophobia.
