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

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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Active Clubs share extremist beliefs with these organizations, including racial hierarchy and the “Great Replacement” theory, which claims white populations are being deliberately replaced by nonwhite immigrants.

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Or is it just another distraction from a much scarier reality that “the great replacement theory” — a touchstone conspiracy among white supremacists that an “inferior” non-white population will displace them — is driving American policy and state-sanctioned actions?

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