Racism in Argentina

Racism In Argentina

In Argentina, there are and have been cases of discrimination based on ethnic characteristics or national origin. In turn, racial discrimination tends to be closely related to discriminatory behavior for socio-economic and political reasons.

Given that trait of Argentine Society, one of the more active institutions against discrimination in the south hemisphere has been established, the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism. The INADI (Instituto Nacional contra la Discriminación, la Xenofobia y el Racismo) was created in 1995 by Federal Law 24515. The Institute placed Argentina in the foreground of the fight against racism and discrimination.

Different terms and behaviors have spread to discriminate against certain portions of the population, in particular against those who are referred to as "negros", a group that is not particularly well-defined in Argentina, but which is associated, although not exclusively, with people of dark skin or hair; members of the working class or lower class (like the American term "red neck"); the poor; and more recently with crime. Is also confusing the fact that words like "negro", "gallego", "bolita", "indio" or "ruso" also are utilised as affectionate nicknames.

Other racist, xenophobic, and spiteful terms and attitudes have developed against immigrants. Historically, "gallego" (Galician) for the Spanish people in general, tano, an apocope of napolitano (Napoletani, from Naples) for the Italians and "ruso" (Russian) for Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire and Europe were terms that carried pejorative connotations. These have to some extent carried over to the present, the former as jokes about Galicians and the latter as anti-Semitic insults. Today, words such as "bolita", "paragua", and "boliguayo" constitute derogatory terms to refer to certain immigrants of Latin American origin, mostly from neighbouring countries like Bolivia and Paraguay.

An older xenophobic slur was the use of the name godos ("Goths", in the sense of barbaric people) for the Spaniards or royalists during the Argentine War of Independence.

Anti-Semitism also exists in Argentina, in a context influenced by the large population of Jewish immigrants and a relatively high level of intermarriage between these immigrants and other communities.

In many cases, "social relations have become racialized"; for example the term "negro" is used to designate a worker, without any relation to the color of his skin. It is common for people who hold positions of responsibility in business to refer to the staff as "negros". In political circles as well it is common for certain groups to denigrate peronist sympathizers by referring to them as "negros".

There is an active debate about the depth of racist conduct in Argentina. While some groups maintain that it is only a question of inoffensive or marginal behavior that is rejected by the vast majority of the population, other groups contend that racism is a widespread phenomena that manifests itself in many different ways. Some groups also assert that racism in Argentina is no different from that which is present in any other country in the world, while other groups claim that Argentina's brand of racism manifests itself in a number of unique ways that are related to the country's history, culture, and the different ethnic groups that interact in the country.