Anti-Chilean sentiment (Spanish: ''antichilenismo'') or Chilenophobia () refers to the historical and current

resentment Resentment (also called ranklement or bitterness) is a complex, multilayered emotion that has been described as a mixture of disappointment, disgust and anger. Other psychologists consider it a Mood (psychology), mood or as a secondary emotion ( ...

towards

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, Chileans, or

Chilean culture The culture of Chile reflects the population and the geographic isolation of the country in relation to the rest of South America. Since colonial times, the Chilean culture has been a mix of Spain, Spanish colonial elements with elements of In ...

. Anti-Chilean sentiment is most prevalent among Chile's neighbors

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. Most recently even wider anti-Chilean sentiment comes from countries such as

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. One of the historic causes of anti-Chilean sentiment is the perceived Chilean expansionism that took place during the 19th century when Chile won the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

. The sentiment also applied to Chilean immigration in

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

History

Despite no war erupting between the two nations, there have been elements of anti-Chilean sentiment in Argentina in the past and present. Anti-Chilean sentiment in Argentina can be blamed on the historical and ongoing border disputes in the Patagonia region. In addition, the events that occurred during the Beagle conflict in 1978 resulted in many anti-Chilean speeches and rhetoric in the Argentine media. Argentine General Luciano Benjamin Menendez was a leading advocate for war during the conflict and was known for his aggressive and vulgar discourse against Chileans. In Bolivia, anti-Chilean sentiment is fueled by Bolivian claims for territory in the Pacific coast. A common political discourse attributes Bolivia's underdevelopment to its loss of seaports in the

becoming thus a landlocked country. This anti-Chilean sentiment has been exploited by Bolivian politicians for more than a century In Peru, a strong anti-Chilean sentiment exists due to losing "a large chunk of its southern territory to Chile" in the

. Citizens of multiple countries also believe they have been economically exploited by Chilean businesses over the last decade, which have taken over large market shares of various consumer businesses, especially retail (

Cencosud Cencosud S.A. is a publicly traded retail company based in Chile. It is the largest retail company in Chile and the third largest listed retail company in Latin America, competing with the Brazilian Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição and the ...

Falabella The Falabella is an Argentine list of horse breeds, breed of small horse. It is among the smallest of horse breeds, with a height at the withers in the range .. History The horses of South America descend from Andalusian horse, Andalusian and ...

, Ripley) and banking.Ironically, Peruvian and Bolivian citizens constitute the bigger immigrant groups in Chile Outside of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

during the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

, Chileans experienced a high degree of anti-Chilean sentiment by United States miners. Chilean businesses and mine workers were usually harassed and at times violently attacked.

Anti-Chilean terminology

In Argentina the word ''Chilote'' is the degrading term for Chileans, instead of ''Chileno'' which is the correct word for Chilean. Normally a Chilote is an inhabitant of the Archipelago of Chiloé (part of Chile) and so Chileans do not feel it is an insult, but it is rather as ignorance from Argentinians since in Argentina, the word has been picked up to describe any Chilean. But they really feel insulted when Argentines refer to them as ''traitor'', mainly for a widespread feeling of betrayal that they felt while Chile offered support to

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

during the

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

in 1982. In Peru and Bolivia, the word '' roto'' ("tattered") is used to refer disdainfully to Chileans. The term ''roto'' was first applied to Spanish conquerors in Chile, who were badly dressed and preferred military strength over intellect. In modern usage, ''roto'' is an offensive term used to disparage the ill-mannered mentally-broken people or those whom the speaker wishes to associate with the ill-mannered. ''Rotos chilenos'' and ''Chilenos rotos'' later applied to "broken and impoverished" lower classes (generally peasants). The terms were first applied to Chileans during the War of the Confederation; specifically, Chilean soldiers received the name from Peruvian soldiers. The term later became used by Chileans themselves in praise of the conscript soldiers of the Pacific War era, to indicate determination despite adversity.Gutiérrez, Horacio
''Exaltación del mestizo: la invención del roto chileno''
(in Spanish)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anti-Chilean Sentiment Foreign relations of Chile Chilean Discrimination in Bolivia Discrimination in Argentina Discrimination in Peru

History

Anti-Chilean terminology

See also

References

External links