The Role of Religion in the Collective Identity of the White Racialist Movement

Abstract

This paper applies the concept of identity to the white racialist or separatist movement, typically referred to as the white supremacist movement in many mainstream publications. While similar racial identity and shared perceptions of the meaning of racialism bind the movement together, there are other important concerns that potentially divide the movement but also have served to attract members to it. One of these potentially divisive areas, the differences in religious views, is explored here through an analysis of the white separatist literature and interviews with movement members. Three belief systems of movement members—Christian or Israel Identity, Church of the Creator, and Odinism—are examined. All three contribute to strengthening the racial identity of white racialists, but are at the same time potentially antagonistic to each other. It is suggested that this religious divide will be a key issue in influencing the future development of the movement.

Uniting the Right: Anti-Immigration, Organizing, and the Legitimation of Extreme Racist Organizations

“…White supremacist political organizations address social and political issues from a white supremacist analytic framework. In this way, they often frame the world through a racist view and advocate a neo-Nazi/fascist solution based on racial hierarchy to rid the world of its social problems (Arena & Arrigo, 2000;Berbrier, 1998a;Berbrier, 1998b;Berbrier, 1999;Daniels, 1997;Dobratz, 2000;Dobratz & Shanks-Meile, 2000;Ezekiel, 1995;Ferber, 1999;Hamm, 1993;Ridgeway, 1995). In contrast, white supremacist religious organizations often rely on a spiritual foundation for white superiority.…”

The association of racial attitudes and spiritual beliefs in post-apartheid South Africa

“…Consistent with these findings of the effects of group dynamics is the large body of research that has shown dogmatic, fundamentalist adherence to personal beliefs to be positively associated with racist attitudes (Altemeyer, 2003;Dobratz, 2001;Duriez & Hutsebaut, 2000;Jackson & Hunsberger, 1999). ''One's creed per se does not particularly associate with such prejudice, but the attitude that one's beliefs are the fundamentally correct, essential, inerrant ones is associated with bigotry'' (Altemeyer, 2003, p. 19).…”

Camouflaged Collectives: Managing Stigma and Identity at Gun Events

“…For these organizations, complete social acceptance is an impossibility. Examples of core stigmatized organizations identified in the academic literature include men's bathhouses (Hudson, 2008;Elwood, Greene & Carter, 2003), brothels (Blithe & Wolfe, 2016;Wolfe & Blithe, 2015), or white power organizations (Dobratz, 2001;Futrell & Simi, 2004;Simi & Futrell, 2009). The very nature of these organizations induces outside stigma.…”