Intersections of hate: Exploring the transecting dimensions of race, religion, gender, and family in Ku Klux Klan Web sites

ABSTRACT

The United States has a historical legacy of oppression and subjugation spanning an array of social locations, including class, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and others. Contemporary research has documented a growth in themes of prejudice and racism present in popular media, such as the Internet. This study fills a gap in the literature by exploring Internet manifestations of a social group that has been historically organized around an ideology of intolerance, prejudice, and hatred: The Ku Klux Klan. Findings from an intersectional content analysis of KKK Web sites reveal that prejudice exists on multiple axes of hate. Major themes include emphases on white solidarity, the cult of Aryan Christianity, Aryan Klan masculinity and heteronormative nuclear family values. These dimensions intersect to create a complex picture of the Klan’s self-proclaimed social supremacy. Implications regarding the use of the Internet as a vehicle of hate are considered.

Acknowledgments

I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Mary Jo Deegan and the participants of the Spring 2014 seminar on intersectionality for their valuable critiques and suggestions in revising this manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rachel M. Schmitz

Rachel M. Schmitz is a PhD candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include gender and sexuality, the family, and homeless youth and young adults. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Child and Family Studies and Child and Youth Services Review.