Theoretically, any person going to work outside of his or her country of citizenship would be described as an expatriate, regardless of the person's colour of skin or nationality. In common usage, the term is often used in the context of professionals or skilled workers sent abroad by their companies (Castree et al., 2013). However, in many countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, in practice an 'expat' is a term reserved exclusively for Western white people going to work abroad. In contrast, mixed-race or black people from Africa, Asia and Arab countries are described as immigrants. Europeans are considered by some people as 'expats' because they are somehow considered to be more knowledgeable than people from other backgrounds, whereas an immigrant is a term set aside for 'inferior races' (Koutonin, 2015).

Questions

1 Why are white people considered as 'expats' when non-white people are thought of as 'immigrants'?