Description
Book SynopsisThis book offers the first transnational history of white nationalism in Britain, the US and the formerly British colonies of Rhodesia, South Africa and Australia from the post-World War II period to the present. It situates contemporary white nationalism in the ‘Anglosphere’ within the context of major global events since 1945. White nationalism, it argues, became more global in reaction to the forces of decolonisation, civil rights, mass migration and the rise of international institutions. In this period, assumptions of white supremacy that had been widely held by whites throughout the world were challenged and reformulated, as western elites professed a commitment to colour-blind ideals. The decline in legitimacy of overtly racist political expression produced international alliances among white supremacists and new claims of populist legitimation.
Trade Review'It is impossible to understand the political dynamics of Europe, the United States and many other parts of the world without coming to terms with the resurgence of white ethnic nationalism and white supremacism. What makes that understanding so difficult is that these movements are at once intensely local and - paradoxically - highly globalised. This superb collection of essays illuminates the relationships of white nationalist reactions to the large-scale historical forces of colonialism, globalisation and cultural and economic change. At once accessible and authoritative, it fuses erudition with urgency, the past with the present.'
Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times columnist and writer
'This timely and intelligent collection sheds light on a disturbing phenomenon that has taken root not least in Europe and North America: White Nationalism.'
Gerald Horne, author of White Supremacy Confronted: U.S. Imperialism and Anticommunism vs the Liberation of Southern Africa, from Rhodes to Mandela
'Long dismissed as a fissiparous fringe, the white right comes under serious scrutiny in this unsettling trans-historical collection. Fuelled by feelings of betrayal and loss, the precursors to modern white racial populism are found here amongst baleful networks of Powellites, Paisleyites, neo-Confederates, and unreconstructed imperialists.'
Saul Dubow, author of Apartheid, 1948-1994
'A timely and compelling study of the historical evolution of white nationalism across spatial boundaries, this pioneering work addresses a significant lacunae in our historical knowledge and provides invaluable insight into contemporary political formations in the age of Brexit and Trump.'
Kerry Pimblott, University of Manchester
'Global White Nationalism makes a number of notable and timely interventions.'
Ethnic and Racial Studies
'The question posed at the start of this book seems as pertinent as just about anything that could be asked about our current epoch. Why are there people today who persist in seeing the colour of their skin the answer to problems of modern-day life?'
Chartist (No 315)
'[...] Every contributor is to be commended. As befits a book of stimulating scholarship, it concludes with an
animating postscript from Omar Khan, former director of the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank founded in 1968, partially in response to Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech. Khan reminds us that effectively tackling racism requires ‘building arguments, coalitions, and policies to challenge and ultimately dismantle all forms of injustice’ (307). This book is a welcome addition to that process. It lays a solid foundation on which future scholars can build. But it also does far more. Each chapter is as accessible as it is authoritative, making it suitable for a wide readership and for starting a necessary conversation critical to the future of the twenty-first century.'
European History Quarterly
'A valuable addition to the literature on the history of the transnational extreme right as well as a timely and stimulating intervention into our current debates about racial justice and the ongoing threat of white nationalism.'
Craig Fowlie, Patterns of Prejudice
'At a moment in history when a majority of Republicans believe that “the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it,” according to a 2020 study by the American Enterprise Institute, a book of essays on global white nationalism is timely. Mostly written by British scholars, this collection examines the commonalities among far-right movements across the English-speaking world and cautions readers about ignoring their potential to infiltrate mainstream politics. Contributors describe how right-wing activists globally seek to preserve or restore white power in the face of movements for equality, which grew out of post–WW II decolonization movements and civil rights advances. White supremacists in the US and former British colonies have consistently opposed immigration of what they deem to be people of inferior stock. Their spokesmen have shared ideas through personal connections, and more recently the internet. Brexit, Enoch Powell and his “Rivers of Blood Speech,” and Donald Trump are frequently invoked in this collection as key elements of global white nationalism. Although not all of the essays are equally reader friendly, collectively they remind readers that awareness of white nationalism’s reach is necessary to combat it.
--M. J. Birkner, Gettysburg College
Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.
Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.
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Table of ContentsIntroduction
Toward a global history of white nationalism - Daniel Geary, Camilla Schofield, and Jennifer Sutton
In the shadow of slavery and empire
1 Black pasts, white nationalist racecraft and the political work of history - Kennetta Hammond Perry
2 ‘Regular White man’: Reveries of reverse colonisation - Stuart Ward
3 Wild power: The aftershocks of decolonization and black power - Bill Schwarz
Opposing civil rights
4 Enoch Powell’s America / America’s Enoch Powell - Clive Webb
5 From Belfast to Bob Jones: Ian Paisley, Protestant fundamentalism, and the Transatlantic right - Daniel Geary
Nostalgia for white rule
6 ‘One last retreat’: Racial nostalgia and population panic in Smith’s Rhodesia and Powell's Britain - Josiah Brownell
7 Transatlantic white supremacy: American segregationists and international racism after civil rights - Zoe Hyman
The far right in the Anglosphere
8 White Australia alone? The international links of the Australian far right in the Cold War era - Evan Smith
9 “It’s a white fight and we’ve got to win it”: Culture, violence, and the Transatlantic far right since the 1970s - Kyle Burke
Postscript: Islamophobia and the struggle against white supremacy - Omar Khan
Bibliography
Index
