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Russians as a “Warrior Nation”: The Formation of a Stereotype in China
Ethnic and national stereotypes are likely the most prevalent and widely debated type of stereotype. Even classical authors such as Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote of how differing climates generated differences between the peoples inhabiting them, rendering Europeans braver but less amenable to organization, and making Asians softer but more accepting of despotic rule. Such stereotypes have long histories, and many persist to the present. However, only recently did theory regarding national/ethnic stereotypes begin to be developed. It started within studies of international relations, which considered how one society’s perception of another influenced propaganda and foreign policy. It also has its roots in imagology, which employs literature and historical sources to study the formation and evolution of national images/stereotypes.