The Bigot: Why Prejudice Persists
Stephen E Bronner
Abstract
This book presents bigotry as a systematic, all-encompassing mindset that has a special affinity for rightwing movements. It explores the appeal of bigotry, the self-image it justifies, the interests it serves, and its complex connection with modernity. It reveals how prejudice shapes the conspiratorial and paranoid worldview of the true believer, the elitist, and the chauvinist. In the process, it becomes apparent how the bigot hides behind mainstream conservative labels in order to support policies designed to disadvantage the targets of his contempt. Examining bigotry in its various dimensi ... More
This book presents bigotry as a systematic, all-encompassing mindset that has a special affinity for rightwing movements. It explores the appeal of bigotry, the self-image it justifies, the interests it serves, and its complex connection with modernity. It reveals how prejudice shapes the conspiratorial and paranoid worldview of the true believer, the elitist, and the chauvinist. In the process, it becomes apparent how the bigot hides behind mainstream conservative labels in order to support policies designed to disadvantage the targets of his contempt. Examining bigotry in its various dimensions—anthropological, historical, psychological, sociological, and political—the book illustrates how the bigot's intense hatred of “the other” is a direct reaction to social progress, liberal values, secularism, and an increasingly complex and diverse world.
Keywords:
bigotry,
rightwing movements,
self-image,
modernity,
prejudice,
bigot,
hatred,
social progress,
liberal values,
secularism
Bibliographic Information
Print publication date: 2014 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300162516 |
Published to Yale Scholarship Online: January 2015 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300162516.001.0001 |