Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Enemy stereotype
(4,001 words)

1. Types, functions, mechanisms

1.1. Definition and identification

Enemy stereotypes have always been vital to historical processes of identity formation, as the “enemies” against whom a definition is to be drawn are cast in constructs of theological polemic, prejudice, and self-assertion to reinforce the cohesion of the “in-group” (Exclusion). Such stereotypes have thus served the negative integration of a community in its encounter with neighbors and ri…

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Wrede, Martin, “Enemy stereotype”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_019179>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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