Engendering Hate: The Rise of Feminism within the White Supremacy Movement

Abstract

The advent of the Internet has led to a surge in hate group mobilization, providing affiliates of organized racism with a cost-efficient way to distribute information about white supremacy. Hate groups have grown in strength due in part to the increasing number of women who are joining the white supremacy movement. Although this remains a male dominated movement, many young female recruits develop a feminist consciousness through their participation. What remains unclear is how these women come to develop a feminist identity within this traditionally hyper-masculine movement. Utilizing data garnered from Stormfront.org—the largest and longest running online hate group—this research examines the association between female members organizational affiliation and the formation of a feminist identity. Findings illustrate that there are clear differences in terms of members’ organizational affiliation, with politically-based members (e.g., Neo-Nazis) exhibiting a feminist consciousness relative to their religious counterparts (e.g., Christian Identity Movement). Although there are distinct organizational differences in terms of members’ feminist consciousness, the results indicate that the foundational ideologies of the white supremacy movement ensures that even the most progressive and outspoken members associate feminism with a larger anti-white ideology and are resistant to self-identity with the feminist label.