The Impact of Racialized Religion on White Nationalism in the United States

• In Event: 3207 - Nations/Nationalisms I

Abstract

Since the atrocities of 9/11, religious violence has seemingly become intextricably linked with Islam and Muslims. Yet, it is white nationalism, influenced by the racial religion of Christian Identity and a reinterpretation of the ancient Norse religion Odinism, that has perpetrated violence against the United States government and American citizens. Moreover, while Christian Identity and Odinism have long been present in academic literature, examining the white nationalist movement in the United States through the racial religious lens is a new paradigm. Indeed, the deadly events of a Unite the Right rally in Charlottestown, Virginia in 2017 are evidence how seemingly disparate religious groups advocate the use of violence to support the preservation of white identity. Based on one-to-one interviews I conducted, utilizing epistemic worldview analysis, this article will compare how the beliefs of Christian Identity members and Odinist adherents shape the violent white identitarian beliefs that undergird the American white nationalism movement.

Author

• Sara Kamali