Anger and hate groups: The importance of structural inequality for the sociology of emotions and social movement research

Abstract

This paper explores the connections between social structural inequality, emotions, and social movement participation. The activities and ideologies of a diverse family of hate groups are treated as a social movement. The interplay between the structural, cultural, and emotional origins of this movement is spelled out. The central emotions shared by these groups are anger and hate, which stem from the perception that whites occupy subordinate positions in society relative to a growing number of undeserving "nonwhites." This theme recurs in hate group discourse and forms a fundamental part of the movement's ideology but it also regenerates the emotional dynamics that seed discontent and mobilization. This study joins a growing body of research that incorpo­rates emotions into theoretical models of social movements.