One of the themes of the era of Donald Trump is whiteness and white identity. From his first steps into the public eye, Trump used race to frame his positions and relevance. His presidency has been no different.
White identity, though, has remained a confusing topic to understand and precisely measure. What does it mean to hold the identity of the dominant racial group? Does white identity even exist? And if it does, what does it mean?
Ashley Jardina answers dozens of questions like these in her timely new book,
White Identity Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2019). Jardina is assistant professor of political science at Duke University.
Where past research on whites' racial attitudes emphasized out-group hostility, Jardina brings into focus the significance of in-group identity and favoritism.
White Identity Politics shows that disaffected whites are not just found among the working class; they make up a broad proportion of the American public - with major implications for political behavior, policy preferences, and the future of racial conflict in America.