The New Nationalism in America and Beyond : The Deep Roots of Ethnic Nationalism in the Digital Age

A careful analysis of the social media campaigns of Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, and the Brexit campaigners, which shows how today's new nationalists are cultivating support from white majorities by tapping into their history and culture. Across the West, there has been a resurgence of ethnic nationalism, populism, and anti-immigrant sentiment - a phenomenon that many commentators have called the "new nationalism." In The New Nationalism in America and Beyond , Robert Schertzer and Eric Taylor Woods seek to understand why the bastions of liberalism are proving to be fertile ground for a decidedly illiberal ideology. To do so, they examine the social media campaigns of three of the most successful exemplars of the new nationalism: Donald Trump in the US, Marine Le Pen in France, and Brexit in the UK. Schertzer and Woods show how today's new nationalists are cultivating support from white majorities by drawing from long-standing myths and symbols to construct an image of the nation as an ethnic community. Their cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approach combines elements of political science, sociology, history, and communication and media studies, to show how leaders today are updating the historical foundations of ethnic nationalism for the digital age. Cover Half-Title Title Copyright Contents List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments 1. The (Not So) New Nationalism The Puzzle: The Rise of Ethnic Nationalism in the West The Argument: The Deep Roots of the “New” Nationalism Situating the Argument: From Focusing on Populism toward Focusing on Nationalism Structure of the Argument 2. Making Sense of Ethnic Nationalism in the West Understanding Nationalism Ethno-.Symbolism: Dominant Ethnicity, Culture, and History Tying Together the Threads of Ethno-.Symbolism to Understand Ethnic Nationalism 3. Mapping Ethnic Nationalism in the Age of Twitter A Schema for Mapping Ethnic Myth-.Symbol Complexes Applying the Schema: Mapping Ethnic Nationalism through Social Media 4. The Foundations and Development of Ethnic Nationalism in America The Cultural Foundations of American Ethnic Nationalism The Development of Ethnic Nationalism in America How Does This Help Us Understand the New Nationalism in America Today? 5. Donald Trump and the New Nationalism in America The Role of Ethnic Nationalism and the White Majority in 2016 (and 2020) Donald Trump’s Ethnic Nationalism Donald Trump’s Twitter Nationalism in the 2016 Presidential Campaign Continuity and Change in Donald Trump’s Ethnic Nationalism 6. Marine Le Pen and the Ethnic Stream of French Nationalism The Ethnic Foundations of French Identity and Political Culture Marine Le Pen and Ethnic Nationalism in France Today Continuity and Change in Marine Le Pen’s Ethnic Nationalism 7. English Nationalism and the Campaign for Brexit The Ethnic Foundations of English Nationalism Brexit and English Nationalism Continuity and Change in the Leave Campaigns’ Ethnic Nationalism Conclusion: The Deep Roots of the New Nationalism The Persistence and Adaptability of Ethnic Nationalism in the West The Form and Content of the New Nationalism in the West This Is Not the End Notes References Index Across the West, there has been a resurgence of ethnic nationalism, populism, & anti-immigrant sentiment - a phenomenon that many commentators have called the 'new nationalism.' This book seeks to understand why the bastions of liberalism are proving to be fertile ground for a decidedly illiberal ideology. To do so, it examines three of the most successful exemplars of the new nationalism: Donald Trump in the US, Marine Le Pen in France, & Brexit in the UK. To understand the success of these new nationalists, it looks at the role of white majorities, their cultures, & their histories. Through a careful analysis of the social media campaigns of Trump, Le Pen, & the Brexit campaigners, the book shows how today's new nationalists are cultivating support from white majorities by drawing from long-standing myths & symbols to construct an image of the nation as an ethnic community In The New Nationalism in America and Beyond, Robert Schertzer and Eric Taylor Woods, explain why ethnic nationalists like Donald Trump in the US, Marine Le Pen in France, and the Brexit campaigners in the UK have gained so much support in the last few years. Through careful analysis of the social media campaigns of these "new nationalists," Schertzer and Woods show how these leaders are tapping into the history and culture of white majorities. Their cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approach--combining elements of political science, sociology, history, and communication and media studies--highlights how leaders today are updating the historical foundations of ethnic identity for the digital age to win elections