Overview

George Hawley, who has written extensively on conservatism and right-wing ideologies in the United States, presents a telling portrait of conservatism's relationship with identity politics. The American conservative movement has consistently declared its opposition to all forms of identity politics, arguing that such a form of politics is at odds with individualism. In this persuasive study, George Hawley examines the nature of identity politics in the United States: how conservatives view and understand it, how they embrace their own versions of identity, and how liberal and conservative intellectuals and politicians navigate this equally dangerous and potentially explosive landscape. Hawley begins his analysis with a synopsis of the variety both of conservative critiques of identity politics and of conservative explanations for how it has come to define America's current political terrain. This historical account of differing conservative approaches to identitarian concerns from the post-war era until today—including race, gender, and immigration—foregrounds conservatism's lack of consistency in its critiques and ultimately its failure to provide convincing arguments against identity politics. Hawley explores the political right's own employment of identity politics, particularly in relation to partisan politics, and highlights how party identification in the United States has become a leading source of identity on both sides of the political spectrum. Hawley also discusses this generation's iteration of American white nationalism, the Alt-Right, from whose rise and fall conservatism may develop a more honest, realistic, and indeed relevant approach to identity politics.

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9780268203757

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Reviews

""[Hawley's] engaging intellectual and social scientific tour de force helps the reader grasp how the new generation of conservatives and classical liberals is building on the foundations laid by previous generations."" —Law & Liberty ""[Hawley] builds a scrupulous case. This has the power to change minds."" —Publishers Weekly ""This is one of the most comprehensive, data driven looks at modern conservatism written in the past decades, an amazing addition to a stellar career."" -Maiseh Review ""Hawley is a careful, cautious internal critic of U.S. conservatism. He argues that partisan 'identity politics' is pervasive among present-day conservatives, despite their insistence that liberals are the ones to politicize race, gender, and other aspects of identity."" —Library Journal ""In a work that will interest students of both political theory and public opinion, Hawley examines the evolving meanings of conservatism and, specifically, its complicated history with the idea of 'identity politics.'"" —Choice ""George Hawley has already distinguished himself as one of the leading scholars of polarization, ideology, and American conservatism. But in Conservatism in a Divided America, Hawley has exceeded his own standard of excellence. In the era of identity politics and wokeness, this book is by far his most insightful—and provocative."" —Jesse Merriam, Patrick Henry College ""In this balanced, profound, and honest book, George Hawley delves into the history of American conservatism and traces its development from an intellectual enterprise to a real-world movement. If, as argued by Hawley, the call of identity in American politics is unlikely to fade, Conservatism in a Divided America provides a gentle warning to not dismiss its implications for the future of American politics—and conservatism itself—in the twenty-first century."" —José Pedro Zúquete, author of The Identitarians ""Hawley argues that many conservatives are ill-equipped to deal with identity issues largely because of their adherence to an outdated and inadequate 'canon' of conservative movement literature that was largely produced in the 1950s and 1960s."" —D. J. Mulloy, author of The World of the John Birch Society

Author Information

George Hawley is associate professor of political science at the University of Alabama. He is the author of a number of books, including The Moderate Majority, Making Sense of the Alt-Right, and Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism.

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