replacement theory

[ri-pleys-muhnt thee-uh-ree, theer ee]

noun

1. a demographic conspiracy theory popular among white nationalists in the United States and Europe that speculates that falling birthrates among white, native-born Christians, together with a growing population of nonwhite, non-Christian immigrants, whose arrival is believed to be encouraged or orchestrated by globalist elites with the goal of undermining national identities, will, if unchecked, result in the decline of white European culture or its dominance.

Word History and Origins

Origin of replacement theory¹

First recorded in 1900–05 as a medical term; current sense dates to 2015–20; partly based on L’Abécédaire de l’in-nocence ( The Abecedarium of No-Harm, 2010) and Le Grand Remplacement ( The Great Replacement, 2011), books by Renaud Camus, French novelist, white nationalist, and conspiracy theorist (born 1945)

Example Sentences

If you look at Epstein, he’s where many of the conspiracy theories converge: Stop the Steal, The Big Lie, lawfare, deep state, replacement theory.

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Two years later, a white supremacist mob carrying Confederate and Nazi flags in support of the so-called “great replacement theory,” a racist fantasy about a plot to diminish the influence of white people, marched in Charlottesville, Va., inciting a riot and killing one.

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This is, of course, a nod to the far-right Great Replacement Theory, which holds that the immigrant invaders are trying to supplant the rightful owners of America — identified by Schmitt as the “sons and daughters of the Christian pilgrims.”

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The “great replacement theory,” a conspiracy theory popular among white nationalists, argues that various policies are leading to the destruction of the white race.

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They serve “global liberalism” and “global capital” and support mass migration, he continued, a nod to the “great replacement” theory, which blames Jews for replacing white Americans with nonwhite immigrants.

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