Anglophobia is a rejection of everything English
The term Anglophobia is formed with the prefix Anglo- (which refers to “English” ) and the noun phobia (rejection of something or someone). Anglophobia, therefore, is a phobia experienced in the face of English.
A deep-seated rejection
Whoever has Anglophobia feels disgust or rejection towards someone or that who is originally from England . Generally this position is reflected in an animosity towards English culture or the people of that nation.
Anglophobia often spreads at a social level due to historical events or policies applied by the English authorities. For people who are not aware of the historical events that led certain countries to feel Anglophobic, this position of rejection may seem arbitrary or exaggerated; And in most cases these are events from the remote past, which do not reflect the actions or ideas of today's England but of the British Empire .
Known cases
In the case of Argentina , there is a marked Anglophobia in a large part of society due to the conflict that exists around the Malvinas Islands , called Falkland Islands by the British. According to the position of the South American country, the Malvinas Islands belong to its national territory for historical and geographical reasons, which means they should be administered by the Argentine State. The English, on the other hand, consider the archipelago to be part of the United Kingdom by history and, in fact, govern this island region as a British overseas territory. In Argentina , Anglophobia was strengthened after the 1982 war.
In Ireland there is also an intense Anglophobia born of the domination exercised by the English for many centuries and persecution motivated by religious reasons. Anglophobia also appears in Quebec , a French-speaking Canadian province that suffered the consequences of the English conquest of New France in the 18th century .
Australia, for its part, is one of the countries in which Anglophobia occurs most markedly. At first glance, since they speak the same language, share some customs and drive on the right, it may seem that they are related lands. However, we must not forget that the British Empire used Australia as a space to banish and imprison convicted criminals throughout the 18th century, which led to a European invasion to the detriment of local Aboriginal people.
At the other extreme we have Spain, the country in which the least Anglophobia can be seen on this list. Although there are certain historical facts that fueled this rejection, currently it is attributed especially to the large volume of English people who visit Spain for tourist purposes and, according to numerous complaints, behave in a less than respectable manner.
Its antonym is "anglophilia", admiration for English culture.
Antonym of "anglophilia"
Although Anglophobia is widespread, we must also not forget that there is an opposite phenomenon, Anglophilia . It is precisely about an admiration for English culture or people. As with the previous one, this term is used in many countries, although the particular characteristics of each manifestation are different. For example, in the United States it is used to refer to the English influence that can be seen on the East Coast, New York and New England .
This is reflected in different areas of life, such as the customs of society, business or political organization, although it can also be simply pure and spontaneous admiration . Some people have such a deep taste for everything related to England that they prefer it to their own; for example, they come to feel that English culture is superior to their own. In other cases, Anglophilia manifests itself as a love of English history.