Racializing misogyny: Sexuality and gender in the new online white nationalism

Abstract

This article asks how an anti‐racist, feminist anthropology can help us understand the expansion of the radical right, with a focus on the online white nationalist movement. It demonstrates how homophobia and anti‐feminism are two of many pathways into the online white nationalist movement. In effect, white nationalists work through online venues to racialize homophobia and anti‐feminism. They articulate a view of white racialization where gender and sexuality are central to ideas about biological and cultural superiority. Through tracing the linkages between gender, sexuality, and race in different ideations of the white nationalist movement, this article shows a continuity of these core ideas to white nationalism across different manifestations of the movement, even as the expression of them has changed. An aim of this article is to demonstrate the ways an anti‐racist, feminist anthropology provides tools to understand how concerns about gender animate this authoritarian movement.

Buddhism and race in the United States

“…In creating a Buddhist community that values authoritarianism, tailored to the conservative western man, r/AltBuddhism’s white supremacy is decidedly gendered. This is similar to other right‐wing groups, for whom “gender and sexuality are central” to white supremacy (Bjork‐James, 2020, p. 177). Sophie Bjork‐James observes that even when various sites in the “manosphere” do not explicitly emphasize white supremacy, “their focus on criticizing feminism and celebrating virile, heterosexual patriarchy provides a cohesive overlap to the gender politics of white nationalism” (2020, p. 180).…”

Who Gets to Be in The Guild?

“…The Guild portrays this pseudo-knowledge as absurd, though the recent rise of violent misogynist groups such as incels--"involuntary celibates," an online community of predominantly young men who promote male supremacy and believe they deserve sex from women--makes the issue significantly less humorous (Bratich and Banet-Weiser, 2019;DeCook, 2019). Zaboo exemplifies how such online cultures and platforms encourage people to lean into the mythical norm via concepts like male or White supremacy to obtain the benefits the norm supposedly provides (DeCook, 2018;Condis, 2019;Bjork-James, 2020). Like many young men online, Zaboo is drawn to this masculinist ideology because it seems to explain his lack of success with women, even as it exacerbates his harmful behaviors and forecloses any critical reflection on the sexist and racist norms that limit him.…”

A Contradiction Between Online Han Chinese Ethnic Nationalism and Feminism: The Rise of China and the Effect of Chinese Traditional Culture

“…Hovhannisyan used contemporary Armenia as an example and convey that nationalism in the global south strongly against feminism and genderism, as feminism and genderism endanger the national identity, social tradition, and national future [28]. However, as Bjork-James conveys, western white nationalists also strongly oppose feminism, as they believe feminism has threatened the traditional whiteness and national identity [1]. Instead, Bruno argues that nonwest countries are more resistant to feminism, as western feminism tries to impose a universal ideology, which contradicts local culture and resembles the colonialism they have suffered [29].…”

“…From the UK Independence Party and the Scottish Independence Movement to Trump's "America First", nationalism has once again taken center stage. At the same time, this farright movement is often associated with misogyny and anti-feminism [1]. The confrontation between feminism and nationalism is not a new phenomenon.…”

“…They point out the gendered nature of nationalism, and explore the important role that gender plays in the development of nation-states, ethnic conflict, and the construction of nations [5]. Among them, Yuval-Davis and Anthias provide critical theories for feminist to analyze the nation construction, suggesting five ways in which women intervene in nation construction: (1) women are the procreators of ethnicity/nationality; (2) women are the reproducers of the nation-state/ethnicity; (3) women are the transmitters of national/ethnic culture and collective ideology; (4) women are the markers of ethnic/national distinctions and are the focus and symbol of the ideological discourses, which are used to construct, reproduce and change the structure of ethnic/national categories; (5) women are participants in military struggles, politics, economy and nationhood [17]. Based on this theory, Walby and Peterson have made their supplement.…”