Call it the crisis of whiteness. White anxiety has fueled this year’s political tumult in the West: Britain’s surprising vote to exit the European Union, Donald J. Trump’s unexpected capture of the Republican presidential nomination in the United States, the rise of right-wing nationalism in Norway, Hungary, Austria and Greece. […] Read more »
Among Donald Trump’s Biggest U.S. Fans: Hindu Nationalists
Your typical Trump rally this was not. First there was the ritual Hindu fire, a yagna, which burned in his honor. Then there were the posters, standard Donald J. Trump head shots except for a touch of artistic interpretation: a tilak, the red dot symbolic of the spiritual third eye […] Read more »
Sources of Trumpism
… Other things being equal, those who feel hard-pressed are no more likely to support Trump over Clinton than those who are optimistic about their potential for improving their economic lot. Trumpism, then, is not primarily about economic dislocation itself; rather, it arises from the story people tell themselves about […] Read more »
Taco Trucks and the Soul of America
When Marco Gutierrez, the founder of Latinos for Trump, warned last week that increased immigration could lead to “taco trucks on every corner,” he was widely and understandably mocked. … But it was clear enough what Gutierrez meant. Plenty of Americans do see the increasing prevalence of foreign cultures in […] Read more »
How race and identity became the central dividing line in American politics
In 2016, race and identity has emerged as the central dividing line in American politics. Though race has always lived close to the surface of politics in the US, it has rarely been so explicitly front and center in political campaigns. So how did this happen? The easy answer is […] Read more »
A Clearer Portrait Emerges of Trump Supporters
… “Trump’s supporters are distinctive in their unique combination of anti-expertise, anti-elitism, and pro-nationalist sentiments,” political scientists J. Eric Oliver and Wendy Rahn write in the Annals of the American Association of Political and Social Science. “Trump’s supporters are also distinctive in their high levels of conspiratorial thinking, nativism, and […] Read more »