white man's burden

white man's burden

n.

The supposed or presumed responsibility of white people to govern and impart their culture to nonwhite people, often advanced as a justification for European colonialism.

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[From "The White Man's Burden", a poem by Rudyard Kipling.]

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White man's burden

n

(Social Science / Anthropology & Ethnology) the supposed duty of the White race to bring education and Western culture to the non-White inhabitants of their colonies

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

white man's burden - the supposed responsibility of the white race to provide care for their non-white subjects duty, obligation, responsibility - the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jr