When white
nationalists and their supporters clashed with counter-demonstrators
in the college town of Charlottesville over the removal of a
Confederate statue, resulting in the death of one anti-racist
activist and the wounding of thirty-five more, a signal moment in
American history was reached.
Suddenly, U.S.
citizens who had previously thought of themselves as moderate began
to wonder whether violence in defending their values against fellow
citizens was not only an option, but a necessity—whether the way
American history has been commonly presented is not only unfair but
inaccurate; whether the current President is to blame for the sudden
visibility of white supremacist groups; and finally, whether a surge
in racism and ultra-nationalism is irrevocably re-shaping the
country.
#Charlottesville:
White Supremacy, Populism, and Resistance untangles the meaning of the events that unfolded
last August. Part One of the book documents and comments upon the
immediate aftermath of the violence. Part Two addresses the context,
both before and after, for interpreting the violence: essays reflect
on the social and cultural landscape of the nation, the role of the
media, and the logic of “punching Nazis in the face.”
Including writing by
Eric Anthamatten, Nicholas Baer, Wes Bellamy, Keval Bhatt, Vaughn A.
Booker, Andrew Boyer, Maria Bucur, Jordan Dunn, Mindy Fullilove,
Laura Goldblatt, Jeffrey C. Goldfarb, Maggie Hennefeld, Christopher
Howard-Woods, Jeffrey Isaac, Michael Sasha King, Mitchell Kosters,
Jared Loggins, Gordon Mantler, Marcus McCullough, Rachel McKinney,
Julia Ott, Claire Potter, Isaac Ariail Reed, Neil Roberts, Melvin
Rogers, Sanford Schram, Siva Vaidhyanathan, Michael Weinman, Leonard
A. Williams, and Deva Woodly.