Dictionary Definition
chauvinism
Noun
2 activity indicative of belief in the
superiority of men over women [syn: male
chauvinism, antifeminism]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From chauvinisme (originally ‘idealistic devotion to Napoleon’), named from Nicolas Chauvin de Rochefort, a soldier of the First Republic known for his excessive patriotism, especially famous after featuring as a character in Cogniard's play La Cocarde Tricolore.Pronunciation
Noun
- Excessive patriotism, eagerness for national superiority; jingoism.
- Unwarranted bias, favoritism, or devotion to one's own
particular group, cause, or idea.
- Feminists say that male chauvinism is still prevalent in cultures worldwide.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
excessive patriotism
- Croatian: šovinizam
- Czech: šovinismus, šovinizmus
- Finnish: nationalismi
- German: Chauvinismus, Hurrapatriotismus, Hurra-Patriotismus
- Hungarian: nacionalizmus
- Polish: szowinizm
- Spanish: chovinismo, patrioterismo
- Swedish: chauvinism
unwarranted bias
- Czech: šovinismus, šovinizmus
- Finnish: sovinismi
- German: Chauvinismus
- Hungarian: sovinizmus
- Polish: szowinizm
- Swedish: chauvinism
See also
Swedish
Noun
chauvinismRelated terms
Extensive Definition
Chauvinism () is extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of a
group to which one belongs, especially when the partisanship
includes malice and hatred towards a rival group. Jingoism is a
similar term of British derivation. A frequent contemporary use of
the term in English is male chauvinism, which refers to the belief
that men are superior to women. Female chauvinism refers to the
belief that women are superior to men. The term has also been used
to refer to women who replicate male chauvinism and sexist stereotypes.
Etymology
The term is derived from the undocumented
Nicolas
Chauvin, whose legend
made him out to be a soldier under Napoleon
Bonaparte. He served in the Wars of
Revolution (1798–1800) and the Napoleonic
Wars, wherein he was wounded seventeen times and severely
disabled. Despite the unpopularity of Bonapartism in
Restoration France, Chauvin was an
ardent supporter and was often seen wearing a violet in his
lapel,
the symbol of his deposed Emperor. He remained fanatically loyal
despite his poverty,
disability, and the abuse
he suffered.
Many writers and historians falsely attribute to
Chauvin the exploits of other Bonapartists. It is claimed that he
served in the Old Guard at Waterloo,
which is unlikely considering his age and the severity of his
disabilities. When the Old Guard was surrounded and made its last
stand at Le Belle Alliance, he supposedly shouted in defiance to a
call for their honorable surrender: "The Old Guard dies but does
not surrender!", implying blind and unquestioned zealous devotion to one's country [or
other group of reference].
The origin and early usage indicate that
chauvinisme was coined to describe excessive nationalism, which the
original French term continues to do. The term entered public use
due to a satirical
treatment of Chauvin in the French play La
Cocarde Tricolore (The Tricolore
Cockade).
Chauvinism as nationalism
In "Imperialism, Nationalism, Chauvinism", in The
Review of Politics 7.4, (October 1945), p. 457, Hannah
Arendt describes the concept:
- Chauvinism is an almost natural product of the national concept insofar as it springs directly from the old idea of the "national mission." ... (A) nation's mission might be interpreted precisely as bringing its light to other, less fortunate peoples that, for whatever reason, have miraculously been left by history without a national mission. As long as this concept did not develop into the ideology of chauvinism and remained in the rather vague realm of national or even nationalistic pride, it frequently resulted in a high sense of responsibility for the welfare of backward peoples.
The word does not require a judgment that the
chauvinist is right or wrong in his opinion, only that he is blind
and unreasoning in coming to it, ignoring any facts which might
temper his fervor. In modern use, however, it is often used
pejoratively to imply that the chauvinist is both unreasoning and
wrong.
Male chauvinism
seealso SexismMale chauvinism is a term used to describe the
attitude that men are
superior to women. The
term was used by the feminist movement in the 1960s
to describe men who believe or display an attitude that women are
inferior to men, speak to women as inferiors, or treat women
negatively based solely upon their gender.
Female chauvinism
seealso Sexism Female chauvinism can refer to the belief that women are superior to men.According to Nathanson
and Young, one form of feminism they call "ideological
feminism" is chauvinistic as well as misandric. They assert that
this form of feminism alleges "directly or indirectly that women
are superior to men," and that its supporters often claim that
"women are psychologically, morally, spiritually, intellectually,
and biologically superior to men".
Wendy
McElroy claims that in some gender
feminist views, all men are considered irreconcilable rapists,
wife-beating brutes, and useless as partners or fathers to women.
McElroy and Camille Paglia claim that gender feminists view women
as innocent victims who never make irresponsible or morally
questionable choices. Other feminists such as Kate Fillion have
questioned the idea that women are always innocent victims and men
always the guilty victimizers when the interests of each collide
with those of the other.
On the other hand, Ariel Levy
uses the term in another sense in the title of her book, Female
Chauvinist Pigs. She claims that many young women in the United
States are replicating male chauvinism and sexist stereotypes about
women in their embrace of what she labels "raunch culture" and
traditionally masculine attributes. These women she designates
female chauvinist pigs.
See also
References
chauvinism in Min Nan Chinese:
Chauvin-chú-gī
chauvinism in Tosk Albanian: Chauvinismus
chauvinism in Arabic: شوفينية
chauvinism in Min Nan: Chauvin-chú-gī
chauvinism in Bulgarian: Шовинизъм
chauvinism in Catalan: Xovinisme
chauvinism in Czech: Šovinismus
chauvinism in German: Chauvinismus
chauvinism in Estonian: Šovinism
chauvinism in Modern Greek (1453-):
Σωβινισμός
chauvinism in Spanish: Chovinismo
chauvinism in Esperanto: Ŝovinismo
chauvinism in French: Chauvinisme
chauvinism in Korean: 배타주의
chauvinism in Croatian: Šovinizam
chauvinism in Italian: Sciovinismo
chauvinism in Hebrew: שוביניזם
chauvinism in Georgian: შოვინიზმი
chauvinism in Lithuanian: Šovinizmas
chauvinism in Hungarian: Sovinizmus
chauvinism in Macedonian: Шовинизам
chauvinism in Dutch: Chauvinisme
chauvinism in Japanese: 排外主義
chauvinism in Polish: Szowinizm
chauvinism in Portuguese: Chauvinismo
chauvinism in Russian: Шовинизм
chauvinism in Slovak: Šovinizmus
chauvinism in Serbian: Шовинизам
chauvinism in Finnish: Šovinismi
chauvinism in Swedish: Chauvinism
chauvinism in Vietnamese: Chủ nghĩa Sôvanh
chauvinism in Turkish: Şovenizm
chauvinism in Ukrainian: Шовінізм
chauvinism in Chinese: 沙文主义
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Americanism, Anglicism, Briticism, Jim Crow, Jim Crow
law, aggression,
aggressiveness,
antagonism,
anti-Semitism, apartheid, bellicism, bellicosity, belligerence, belligerency, black power,
black supremacy, class consciousness, class distinction, class
hatred, class prejudice, class war, color bar, color line, combativeness, contentiousness,
discrimination,
fascism, ferocity, fierceness, fight, flag waving, hostility, jingoism, know-nothingism, love
of country, male chauvinist, martialism, militancy, militarism, minority
prejudice, nationalism, nationality, overpatriotism, patriotics, patriotism, pugnaciousness, pugnacity, quarrelsomeness, race
hatred, race prejudice, race snobbery, racial discrimination,
racialism, racism, red-baiting, saber
rattling, segregation, sex
discrimination, sexism,
social barrier, social discrimination, superpatriotism,
truculence, ultranationalism,
unfriendliness,
unpeacefulness,
warmongering,
warpath, white power,
white supremacy, xenophobia