Ethnic nepotism

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Ethnic nepotism describes a human tendency for in-group bias or in-group favouritism applied on the ethnic level. It was coined by sociologist Pierre L. van den Berghe in response to Belgian oppression of Africans he witnessed as a Congolese-born European in the Belgian Congo. The theory of ethnic nepotism developed by van den Berghe views ethnocentrism and racism as nepotism toward extended kin, real or fictive, and products of kin selection. The concept has been applied and extended by figures such as Tatu Vanhanen and Frank Salter. It remains controversial even among those involved in evolutionary psychology and human behavioral ecology.


[edit] References

  • The Ethnic Phenomenon, Pierre L. van den Berghe (1981).
  • Ethnic Conflicts Explained by Ethnic Nepotism, Tatu Vanhanen (1999).