Understanding Ethnic Identity Politics in the 21st Century

The primary aim with this theoretical study is to understand ethnic identity politics against the background of the contemporary world crisis, a crisis characterized by: increasing levels of inequality, international migration, nationalism, populism, xenophobia, ethnic identity politics, and threats to democracy from far right movements and authoritarian regimes. Ethnic identity politics is linked with nationalism, racism, and ethno-mobilization. This study looks at ethnic movements and at the interface with the ethnic identity orientation of their members. The sociological problem is defined by the relationship between inequality, international migration, xenophobia, and a new wave of ethnic identity politics in American Society, and it further examines the divergent responses of the white and non-white ethnic segments of the U.S. population to inequality and immigration flows from Mexico. Alternative explanatory factors are examined to account for the rise of white national-populism, ethnic polarization and confrontation in the USA. The two ethnic movements examined are: White National-Populists and Brown Latinos. The argument asserts that growing global and national inequalities, in conjunction with international migration explain the upsurge and bifurcation of ethnic identity politics. This study draws from a previous conceptual model to account for ethnic identity orientations among Mexican Americans. This model is extended to examine the nexus of white national-populism with the white identity orientation of their members. The results show that growing global and national inequalities, in conjunction with (a poorly managed) crisis of international migration, partially explain: rising levels of xenophobia, ethnic discrimination, the new saliency of ethnic identity, and the upsurge and bifurcation of ethnic identity politics.