One who seeks out and admires that which is strange and foreign. Opposite of xenophobe.

Special cases of xenophilia include the francophile, a non-French who believes in the splendour of France, the anglophile, devotee to all things English, and the sinophile, lover of porcelain - that is, China. The main characteristic with all these conditions is that the one described by it must not belong to the country in question, as he would then not be a xenophile but a patriot. Love for a particular region is also possible, such as africanophile, collector of masks and drums and antelopes (OK, I made that one up).

Like with all feelings there have existed fashionable crazes of xenophilia: European obsession with the Orient during the age of discovery and colonization, or Oriental passion for America after the war (like baseball in Japan), or American love for Japanese culture (see anime). Pure xenophilia, however, is mostly found in single individuals throughout their lives. Note that xenophilia is not a disease, and only deadly in large doses.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.