White Supremacy Defined
The following definition comes via the Dismantling Racism Works web page which contains ideas and information for teaching about racism.
The idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to People of Color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions. While most people associate white supremacy with extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazis, white supremacy is ever present in our institutional and cultural assumptions that assign value, morality, goodness, and humanity to the white group while casting people and communities of color as worthless (worth less), immoral, bad, and inhuman and "undeserving." Drawing from critical race theory, the term "white supremacy" also refers to a political or socio-economic system where white people enjoy structural advantage and rights that other racial and ethnic groups do not, both at a collective and an individual level.
Overview Alt Right Movement
- Alt-Right from Opposing ViewpointsInformation on the Alt-Right movement with links to more resources.
Selected Titles from our Catalog
Between the World and Me by
Call Number: E185.615 .C6335 2015Reproducing Racism: How Everyday Choices Lock in White Advantage by
Call Number: E184.A1 R4467 2014
Anger and racial politics : the emotional foundation of racial attitudes in America by Call Number: E185.615 .B2846 2014
Racing for innocence : whiteness, gender, and the backlash against affirmative action by Call Number: HF5549.5.A34 P54 2012American swastika: inside the white power movement's hidden spaces of hate by
Call Number: E184.A1 S599 2010ebPublication Date: 2010
Beneath the surface of white supremacy : denaturalizing U.S. racisms past and present by Call Number: E184.A1 J86 2015
Beyond redistribution : White supremacy and racial justice by Call Number: HT1521 .G675 2010
Blood and politics : the history of the white nationalist movement from the margins to the mainstream by Call Number: E184.A1 Z47 2009
Beyond the white negro : empathy and anti-racist reading by Call Number: E184.A1 D2828 2014
Romantic Violence by Call Number: HV6439.U5 P53 2015
Combating Hatred by Call Number: LB3013.3 .F87 2009
I Am Not your Negro (DVD) by Call Number: E185.61 .I366 2017
The color of sex : whiteness, heterosexuality, and the fictions of white supremacy by ISBN: 0822326205Publication Date: 2001-02-08
Additional Readings
- Charlottesville SyllabusResources from JSTOR
Web Resources
The following organizations can provide more information.
Video
Selected video from Films on Demand. You can search for more here.
- Anatomy of Hate: A Dialogue for Hope To make this film, director Michael Ramsdell spent six years among organizations that define themselves in ideological opposition to other groups, sometimes with extreme hatred. As he spent time with white supremacists, Muslim extremists, militant fundamentalist Christians, participants on both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and American combatants in Iraq, he began to unravel the mystery of the anatomy of hate. The resulting documentary mixes profoundly disturbing footage of racist and antigay tirades with interviews from sociologists and neuroscientists who explain the psychological—rather than political or religious—mechanisms that make people take violent action against other groups. Throughout the film, stories of redemption told by former hate group members prove that inner change is possible. While the film can be difficult to watch, it should prompt thoughtful discussion in sociology, psychology, anthropology, and political science classes. Some content may be objectionable. Contains harsh and inflammatory language. (88 minutes) - Description for Films on Demand
- Erasing Hate Violent skinhead Bryon Widner’s face, neck, and hands were covered with intimidating tattoos before he began the lengthy process of having them removed. But tattoo removal was just the outward sign of an inner transformation. Bryon had been an active and particularly vicious member of the white supremacist movement for 16 years—one of his tattoos signified a willingness to kill for the Aryan race—until meeting his wife and having a change of heart. This program follows Bryon and his family through the painful laser treatments as his journey from runaway teen to extremist skinhead to soul-searching family man is revealed. Discussing why they left Hammerskin Nation and the death threats they still receive, the Widners provide viewers with an inside look at the world of white power hate groups. Contains harsh and inflammatory language. (92 minutes) - Description from Films on Demand
Selected Databases
- Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text [EBSCO] This link opens in a new windowMore than 320 full-text magazines and journals, 540,000 records, and coverage of more than 600 journals from around the world. Subjects include criminology, criminal justice, corrections and prisons, criminal investigations, forensic sciences and investigation, substance abuse and addiction, and probation and parole.
- Criminology: a SAGE Full-Text Collection This link opens in a new windowContent not current. Full-text Access to legacy journals only.
More than 25,000 articles in 38 peer-reviewed journals, with access back to 1999. Subjects include corrections, criminal justice, family and domestic violence, forensic psychology, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, penology, and policing. - Criminal Justice Collection [Gale] This link opens in a new windowBrings together information on every major topic in criminal justice from more than 250 journals.
- Global Issues in Context This link opens in a new windowIntegrates news, global viewpoints, reference materials, country information, primary source documents, videos, statistics, and more in a single search; updated daily and offers 250 different country topic pages and more than 400 Issue pages. Global Issues Viewpoints contains more than 3,000 exclusive commentaries that provide background and guidance on significant topics.
- Opposing Viewpoints In Context This link opens in a new windowCovers today's hottest social issues, offering differing views to help learners develop critical-thinking skills and draw their own conclusions. Includes pro/con viewpoints, reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more.
- Diversity Studies Collection [Gale] This link opens in a new windowMore than 2.7 million articles from 150 journals, updated daily, exploring cultural differences, contributions, and influences in the global community.
- Historical New York Times (ProQuest News & Newspapers) This link opens in a new windowProvides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time, covering 1851-2013.
- Academic Search Complete [EBSCO] This link opens in a new windowMulti-disciplinary full-text database with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Indexes and abstracts more than 12,500 journals and a total of more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, and conference proceedings. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,400 journals.
- Gale Academic OneFile This link opens in a new windowThe premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles for academic libraries from the world's leading journals, this comprehensive resource covers the physical and social sciences, medicine, engineering, the arts, technology, literature, and many other subjects. With millions of articles in both PDF and HTML full-text format and simultaneous, unlimited usage, researchers are able to find accurate, timely information quickly. Gale's InterLink technology intelligently connects contextually-relevant results from your library's eBook collection on GVRL within articles in a user's search results. The Topic Finder tool adds power and depth to searches, allowing students to mine their search results and develop their research focus in ways never before available.
Related Library Resources
The following are additional MaxGuides with related themes
Take Action
- Ten Ways to Fight HateFrom the Southern Poverty Law Center
Subject Guide
Pamela Hayes-Bohanan
Contact:
Reference Department
Clement C. Maxwell Library
(508) 531-2893
Website
Clement C. Maxwell Library
(508) 531-2893