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The Origins of White Supremacy: How Scientific Racism Shaped Global History.
White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to other races and should dominate them. This belief supports the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has its roots in the now-discredited theory of "scientific racism" and was once an important justification for European colonialism. As a political ideology, it imposes and maintains the dominance of culture, society, politics, history, or institutions by whites and their non-white supporters.
In the past, this ideology was implemented through various socioeconomic and legal structures, such as the Atlantic slave trade, European colonial labor and social practices, the plunder of Africa, Jim Crow laws, and apartheid in South Africa.
The influence of white supremacy still exists in today’s society, especially among the new Confederate attackers. This ideology manifests itself in different forms in movements today, including white nationalism, white separatism, Nazism, and the Christian identity movement. In the United States, white supremacy is primarily associated with three groups: the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the Aryan Nations, and the White American Resistance. Despite claiming to have no ties to white supremacy, the Proud Boys have been described in academia as an extension of that ideology.
With the rise of social platforms such as Twitter (renamed X since July 2023) and Reddit, and the campaign of Donald Trump, white supremacist activity and attention has increased.
History of white supremacy
The ideological roots of white supremacy can be traced back to the scientific racism of the 17th century. This mainstream concept of human variation profoundly influenced international relations and racial policies until it was gradually replaced in the late 20th century. In particular, the decolonization of South Africa and the end of apartheid in 1991, coupled with the first multi-racial election in 1994 marked a changing outlook.
Early American History
White supremacy’s dominance in the United States lasted for decades before and after the Civil War. Before the Civil War, many wealthy white people owned slaves and tried to justify their economic exploitation with "scientific" theories. Thomas Jefferson, a future U.S. president, said in 1785 that blacks were physically and mentally inferior to whites. The outbreak of the Civil War was seen as a major justification for maintaining white supremacy, leading to the secession of the Southern states and the formation of the Confederacy.
White supremacy in the 20th centuryIn an 1890 editorial on American Indians and the American Indian Wars, writer L. Frank Baum wrote: "The white man, by the law of conquest and the justice of civilization, has become the master of the American continent. The frontier The safety of the settlement will be ensured by the complete extermination of the remaining Indians."
As the dismantling of social and political freedoms progressed into the mid-20th century, the rise of the Civil Rights Movement could be seen as a modern-day subversion of white supremacy. The movement was sparked in part by the lynching of 14-year-old boy Emmett Till, whose brutal death forced the world to confront the harsh reality of racism in America. One hundred days later, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man, symbolizing the beginning of the struggle.
American sociologist Stephen Kleinburg has said that immigration laws before 1965 clearly declared that Nordic people were the superior subspecies of the white race.
21st century phenomenon
Donald Trump's presidential campaign has exacerbated the rise of white supremacy and white nationalism in the United States, attracting a lot of media attention and new members. Scholars say the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election reflect the ongoing challenges of white supremacy. Sociologist Katherine Bellew points out that more and more social institutions such as education, government, and health care are inadvertently normalizing the control of power and resources in white society.
The impact of technologyAccording to the FBI, nearly 100 domestic terrorism arrests related to white supremacy have been made since October 2018, reflecting the ongoing threat.
With the rise of social media, white supremacist movements have gone virtual, blurring the lines between groups. Sociologist Katherine Bree points out that the anonymity of the Internet makes white supremacist activities difficult to track, but it also promotes the growth of hate crimes and white supremacist violence. The movement uses the Internet as a means to spread its ideas and rally supporters.
The impact of the UK and other countries
In the UK, there is controversy over whether Winston Churchill was a "racist and white supremacist". The issue is further complicated by the disparaging remarks he made about other ethnic groups. In South Africa, the structure of white supremacy has been reinforced by nearly half a century of apartheid, which has had a profound impact on non-white groups.
In summary, the influence of white supremacy runs through global history, having a profound impact on the social structure and relations between groups in different regions. How does this ideology continue to influence our society today? Are there other potential deconstructive ways to challenge such views?
