In the same breadth as decrying so called liberal identity politics, the U.S. Right declares itself representative of an oppressed White, Christian social class, fly Blue Lives Matter flags in place of Old Glory, and bedeck themselves in the cultish paraphernalia of Trump’s Short for Make America Great Again, the slogan of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Learn more movement. With pins and badges signaling adherence to QAnon or movements like the groypers, right-wing politics have taken on the role of cultural identity for millions of Americans. In this discussion, we will examine how the “Culture War” frames the Left’s struggle to preserve a faltering American democracy and establish a new vision for inclusion and justice that makes meaning of and builds solidarity across identity.
For this roundtable discussion, we were joined by:
Bradley Onishi: Social commentator, scholar, writer, teacher, coach, and co-host of the Straight White American Jesus (SWAJ) podcast, Bradley is the author of the newly released Preparing for War: The A generic category for anyone who holds beliefs outside of those approved by mainstream or broadly centrist preferences. Learn more History of White The contemporary idea that America was founded as—and was intended by God to be—a Christian nation. Learn more - And What Comes Next
Steven Gardiner: PRA Research Director, Steven has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of An attitude toward social identities that can be mobilized to justify discrimination, state/vigilante violence, and exploitation. Learn more , violence, and A form of top-down political system that concentrates state power in the hands of a single leader and/or group of close allies. Learn more since the early 1990s. At PRA, he ties together analysis of the disparate right-wing movements that we monitor and strategize against to provide high level intel on the broader U.S. Right.
Zhandarka Kurti: Assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology at Loyola University Chicago, Zhandarka is co-author of States of Incarceration: Rebellion, Reform, and America’s Punishment System and editor of Treason to Whiteness is Loyalty to Humanity.
