Definition

Noun: 1. A systematic, often violent, process to remove or eliminate a particular ethnic or religious group from a geographic area: This term refers to the deliberate policy, typically carried out by a dominant group, to create an ethnically homogeneous region by forcibly expelling, displacing, or killing members of a targeted minority group. It is considered a crime against humanity.

Usage

The term is used as a non-count noun to describe the policy, campaign, or act itself. * The international community condemned the reports of ethnic cleansing in the region. * The tribunal investigated allegations of ethnic cleansing during the civil war. * Survivors testified about the horrors of the ethnic cleansing they endured.

Advanced Usage

• As a modifier: The term can be used adjectivally before other nouns to describe related concepts.
  • The ethnic-cleansing campaign left deep scars on the country.
  • They were accused of ethnic-cleansing operations.

Variants and Related Words

• Ethnically cleanse (verb): A rare and controversial verb form derived from the noun, meaning to carry out ethnic cleansing.
  • The regime sought to ethnically cleanse the province.
• Cleansing (noun): When used in this specific context, it is a euphemism for the violent removal of people. On its own, "cleansing" more commonly refers to making something clean.

Synonyms

• Genocide: While related, "genocide" specifically denotes the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Ethnic cleansing may involve genocide but can also be achieved through forced deportation and displacement without total annihilation.
• Pogrom: A violent riot aimed at massacre or persecution of an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. A pogrom is often a specific, brutal event, whereas ethnic cleansing implies a sustained policy.
• Expulsion: The act of forcing someone to leave a place. This is a key component of ethnic cleansing but does not inherently imply the same level of systematic violence or killing.
• Forced displacement / Deportation: The compulsory removal of people from their homes. These are primary methods of ethnic cleansing.

Important Notes

• Legal Status: "Ethnic cleansing" is not a legally defined term under international law like "genocide" or "crimes against humanity," but the acts it describes are severe violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
• Euphemistic Nature: The term uses the word "cleansing" metaphorically and euphemistically, framing the targeted group as a stain or impurity to be removed. Its use is highly charged and condemnatory.

Noun

1. the mass expulsion and killing of one ethnic or religious group in an area by another ethnic or religious group in that area