Race war or culture war: the diversity in right-wing extremism

Abstract

ABSTRACT While it is common to refer to “the radical right,” I argue that there are in fact two distinct right-wing movements in the USA: one that fears loss of racial supremacy, and one that fears loss of cultural supremacy. It is the latter that drove the January 2021 Capitol riot, and without understanding the difference between the two, it will be impossible to make sense of that event, to understand contemporary trends, such as the increase in minority support for Donald Trump, and to frame effective policy initiatives against a new radical threat.