Ethnocracy

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An ethnocracy is literally "rule by ethnic group." The clearest examples come from countries with large oppressed groups defined by ethnicity. For example, apartheid-era South Africa had a "white minority" rule over a "black" majority, locking them out of government and business. A similar system was in place in old Rhodesia until the establishment of Zimbabwe. Within the U.S., the Jim Crow South functioned in much the same way, even in areas that were predominantly African-American.

The term is possibly most used today, however, by neo-Nazis who try to claim that the world (or at least the U.S.) is controlled by a secret Jewish government. This is lunacy.

Although at odds with liberal conceptions of the state, many countries present a "staatsvolk," or a constitutive people (ethnic hegemon) whose members believe themselves to be the true nation. For example, the official policy of Malaysia is Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), a special status for the Malay people that does not cover the significant numbers of Chinese, Indian, or some indigenous peoples (Bumiputra policy). This also has religious implications, because one of the requirements for being considered a Malay is professing Islam. Many Burmans in Burma consider themselves to be the nation rather than the minority Karens, Kachins, Karenni, Mons, Pao, Rohingya etc. Many Shona speakers in Zimbabwe believe they and not the minority Ndebele speakers, Europeans or Asians are the nation. Compare jus sanguinis rather than jus soli, where you and generations of your ancestors being born in a country is not sufficient for you to be a full citizen, e.g. Turkish denizens of Germany (although obtaining the German citizenship is relatively easy and many did so) or Korean denizens of Japan. According to the Jewish Israeli scholar Joel Schalit, the State of Israel is an ethnocracy in which Jewish and honorary Jewish Israelis dominate politically and socially and other cultural groups in the country are subjugated.

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