论西方社会种族主义与奴隶制中的非人化

Theory,Course and Its Results: Dehumanization in Western Racialism and Slavery

非人化,在西方社会,作为种族主义与奴隶制的一种运行机制,内隐着深刻的哲学、宗教与人类学背景。它是"自我"与"他者"的界分发展到极端化的产物。人在宇宙中占据独特而优越的地位以及万物为用、人为中心的世界观,均为非人化的理论形成提供了哲学与宗教上的渊源。人一旦被视为动物,就容易被当做动物来对待,非人化从理论转入实践的过程由此展开。其结果直接导致奴隶制中的财产论、种族主义与奴隶制中的暴力论。经历长期非人化过程的人群,往往会将非人化机制主动内化,从而形成有助于奴隶制与种族主义正当化的理想类型的奴隶,以及人格矮化的奴隶文化。

As an important mechanism for racialism and slavery in Western societies, ＂dehumanization＂ is deeply rooted in Western philosophy and its religions as well as knowledge from anthropology. It is an extreme development of the boundary between ＂ us＂ and ＂ the other＂. However, in the Western world, the belief of human uniqueness and superiority to all other creatures and the theory that all things are created for the benefit of humans and should be used by humans have offered philosophical and religious sources of origin for the formation of ＂dehumanization＂. Once a group of people are seen to be close to animals, they are likely to be treated as animals. Thereby begins the practice of dehumanization. Direct consequences of dehumanization include： slaves institutionalized as properties, racism, and violence against people who are viewed as sub-human. Groups of people who have been dehumanized for extended periods of time often automatically internalize the mechanism of dehumanization and thus become ＂the ideal slaves＂ that assist justification of slavery and racism as well as a culture of slaves with reduced personhood.