From Ferguson to Gamergate to Charlottesville: Masculinity and Whiteness in Social Movement Mobilization

• In Event: 2183 - Section on Race, Gender, and Class Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 09. Politics of Whiteness

Abstract

Recent mobilization of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, have left a mark on contemporary society that many felt we would not see in this century. The mobilization of the alt-right as well have left many wondering what contributed to the rise in racism. This paper draws from whiteness studies, intersectionality theory, and masculinity studies to elaborate on the possible sources for grievances and thus mobilization for recent white social movements. These grievances are part of the diagnostic, prognostic and motivational framing by elites meant to produce mobilization for political campaigns, local events, and online social media platforms. Social movement framing is utilized as a context to understand offline and online patterns of behavior in recent months and years in the United States. This mobilization is part of a longer historical pattern of retaliation against gains by people of color and women. Current events and patterns are drawn on to explain the mobilization as being part of a multifaceted white identity, rather than reducing the recent participation by whites as solely because of their racial identity.

Author

• Josephine Nummi, Texas A&M University