The Politics of Hate: Understanding Identity Sensitivity, Discourses, and Racial Radicalization in White Nationalist and Alt-Right Movements

Abstract

The elements of white supremacy and white nationalism are deeply embedded in the American society since the end of American civil war. White nationalism and the Alt-right movement fundamentally revolve around the identity politics and considered race as the lens to view all political issues. This paper attempts to find out the historical evolution of the white nationalism and Alt-right, their core beliefs, views and motivations, discussing the proponents and ideologue and criticism on the ideology. The findings revealed that both white nationalism and Alt-Right movement have risen and fallen over the course of history but the online social media platforms and meme culture provided a new dimension and brought them back to the mainstream political and societal discussions.