This archaic term from the 19th century means travelling as a stranger in a foreign country, implying learning, discovery and broadening of the mind – quite topical in the current political climate. From the Greek xénos meaning foreign. So a xenophile is someone attracted to foreign people or cultures. And its opposite is xenophobe, who has xenophobia, having antipathy towards people from another country or foreign cultures. With the renewed rise of extreme right, Brexit-led xenophobia, and similar doctrines in other parts of the world, many would benefit from some xenization. In the 19th century a period of xenization was encouraged in young adulthood of the monied classes as a key part of education to gain a worldly perspective.
Although foreign travel in the 19th century and before was largely constrained to men, there was a movement for the fairer sex to gain their own experiences and bolder venture forth to see the world. Lillias Campbell Davidson’s book of 1889, Hints To Lady Travellers, includes many handy pieces of advice, including avoiding too many petticoats when riding a bicycle, nodding to strangers in a courteous manner, and never travelling without a small flask of brandy, strong smelling salts and an eau de toilette.
For the seasoned traveller though lyrical content is little no evidence of xenization in song, nor even xenophile, but xenophobia and xenophobes have certainly gained direct attention, especially in hip-hop lyrics. New York rapper Princess Nokia, from her 2017 album 1992 Deluxe, points out that it's impossible to be a xenophobe in her native city, a melting popt of cultures, as she explains in her song ABCs of New York:
Here you go and live your dreams
Livin' in the city you can't be a xenophobe
This the melting pot, and the soup is never cold
Talking of New York, another acclaimed rapper, the endlessly inventive wordsmith Sage Francis, addresses xenophobia in his critique of the aftermath of 9/11 in the 2002 song, Makeshift Patriot:
We're selling addictive, twenty-four hour candlelight vigils on TV
Freedom will be defended at the cost of civil liberties
The viewers are glued to television screens, stuck
'Cause lots of things seem too sick
I use opportunities to pluck heartstrings for theme music
I'll show you which culture to pump your fist at
Which foot is right to kiss
We don't really know who the culprit is yet
But he looks like this
We know who the heroes are
They're not the xenophobes who act hard
French rapper MC Solaar targets xenophobe in Tournicoti, from his acclaimed 1997 album Paradisiaque:
L'homme xénophobe est pointé de mon critérium
Le monde est plein de malades, contre ces salades
Finally, there's more playful alphabetic word mixing towards xenophobes by 2Mex in the song Audible Angels from the 1997 Gallieries - Visionaries album:
Substitute scratches save the songs symmetry
Twenty six tabs of turntable tapestry
Understand the underground unsung
Vegetate vast victorious visions
Watch the weather wither in the wrong way
Never Xerox a xenophobes X-ray
Yes you're young so yell that's just you
Zoning in the zero of the zyclon zoo
So then, what zenization, or other roots of xenos, have you discovered on your musical travels? Feel free to share any examples in songs, instrumentals, on albums, film, art or other contexts in comments below.
You can also get in touch the contact page, and also visit us on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube. and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share. New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...