The racist and nationalist interpretation of history: A historical study

Abstract

The study analyzed the roots of the racist interpretation of history as a vision that reduced the development of civilizations to an alleged racial superiority, and responded to these claims with scientific evidence that refutes the idea of ​​biological discrimination. The study delved into a critique of the ideological foundations upon which racist and nationalist interpretations were based, as it clarified how historical facts were falsified to serve expansionist colonial political purposes. The racist interpretation was not merely an epistemological theory. Rather, it is a tool of domination used to justify colonialism and the extermination of others under the pretext of "civilizational superiority" or "purity of blood." The study reviewed the contributions of thinkers such as Herder, Fichte, Nietzsche, and Gobineau in entrenching the racial and national dimensions that paved the way for the rise of Nazism and Fascism. The study revealed the fundamental contradiction in the Zionist discourse, which combined religious myth with racial claims to exclude the original inhabitants of the land, making it a modern example of the danger of employing history in a racist manner. Zionism's use of racist ideology in its settlement project, based on the denial of the existence of the Palestinian people, is evident. On the level of national interpretation. The study affirmed that the retreat into 'national identity' has historically led to the glorification of military conflicts and the marginalization of shared human values, transforming identity from a means of liberation into a cage of isolation and hostility. Accordingly, the study concluded that it is necessary to adopt a 'holistic humanistic historical vision' that transcends biological biases and narrow boundaries, considering cultural diversity, not alleged ethnic conflict, as the true engine of civilization. The study offered an assessment of this nationalist interpretation of history, demonstrating its impact on shaping identity on the one hand, and on producing prejudices and clashes between nations on the other. It concluded by emphasizing that extreme ethnic and nationalist interpretations have failed methodologically and ethically to understand the movement of human history.