INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

The Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville in 2017 forced the public to realize that the alt-right no longer resided on the fringes of the political spectrum – it had infiltrated the mainstream and shifted American politics. That rally gave a face to the alt-right movement - multiple faces, in fact. Hundreds of angry young white men holding torches and dressed in polo shirts exclaimed racist chants and denounced what they believed to be white genocide. But these new faces of the movement are not quite accurate. The alt-right is code for white power/nationalism, or organized racism, and completely erases the presence of alt-right women from the forefront of the movement. White women have played critical and active roles in upholding white supremacy in broader society but are relegated to passive auxiliary positions in formal extremist groups. This research essay explores the roles of women in white power movements, the processes by which they become radicalized, and the potential of women to deradicalize others. ***

INTRODUCTION

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