Violent America : the dynamics of identity politics in a multiracial society

**In** **__Violent America__****, Ariane Chebel d'Appollonia counterintuitively analyzes why and how various ethno-racial groups proactively and instrumentally use different forms of violence to achieve their goals.** Combining a historical analysis spanning the centuries with an examination of contemporary problems, she considers how and why ethno-racial groups can be both perpetrators and victims of violence, why minority groups react differently to violence in comparable situations, and what the consequences are today for politics in both America and Europe. __Violent America__ thus explores the effects of physical and discursive violence on the ways in which ethno-racial groups define themselves. Chebel d'Appollonia argues that the use of ethno-racial violence has been and remains an effective identity strategy by which all ethno-racial groups are able to integrate themselves into the mainstream of American society. She provides an alternative way of understanding the complex relationship between migrant phobia, multiethnic grievances, and inter-group conflicts in America. In Violent America , Ariane Chebel d'Appollonia counterintuitively analyzes why and how various ethnoracial groups proactively and instrumentally use different forms of violence to achieve their goals. Combining a historical analysis spanning the centuries with an examination of contemporary problems, she considers how and why ethnoracial groups can be both perpetrators and victims of violence, why some minority groups react differently to violence in comparable situations, and what the consequences are today for politics in both America and Europe. Violent America thus explores the effects of physical and discursive violence on the ways in which ethnoracial groups define themselves. Chebel d'Appollonia argues that the use of ethnoracial violence has been and remains an effective identity strategy by which all ethnoracial groups are able to integrate themselves into the mainstream of American society. She provides an alternative way of understanding the complex relationship between migrant phobia, multiethnic grievances, and intergroup conflicts in America. Contents Acknowledgments A Note about Quotations INTRODUCTION Part 1 LESSONS FROM THE PAST Introduction 1. Violence as a Proactive Response to Adversity 2. Violence as the Cause of Ethnoracial Identities 3. From Past to Present Ethnoracial Identification Strategy 4. The Dynamics of Contention Part 2 CURRENT TRAJECTORIES OF VIOLENCE IN POST-RACIAL AMERICA Introduction 5. Two Tales of One Nation 6. From Identity Politics to Ethnoracial Identity Crisis 7. Centrifugal Dynamics of Ethnoracial Fragmentation Part 3 CURRENT LESSONS FROM AMERICA 8. Is a Violent Society America’s Only Possible Future? 9. Is Violent America Europe’s Future? Conclusion: Lessons for the Future Notes Index "This book analyzes how the use of violence has been and today remains an effective identity strategy by which all ethno-racial groups gain status-and thus acceptance into the American mainstream. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between multiethnic grievances and ethno-racial conflicts in America"-- Provided by publisher