Willits-Hallowell Conference Center. Photo by Althea Shaw ‘27.
By Sydney Wiser ʼ27
Staff Writer
On April 11, 2024, students, staff and community members gathered to hear guest speaker Dr. Riv-Ellen Prell present her research on Christian nationalism, white power and American antisemitism for the first time publicly.
Dr. Riv-Ellen Prell is an anthropologist and professor emerita of American studies at the University of Minnesota. She has published over 80 articles and essays on topics like antisemitism and feminism.
The event, which was held in the Morrison Room in the Willits-Hallowell Conference Center, began with an introduction from Chair of Religion and of Jewish Studies Mara Benjamin.
Prell started her lecture by remarking that the United States is a divided nation. She shared statistics, including one revealing that as of 2022, just under half of Americans believe that the country is moving toward civil war in the next decade. Prell also noted that researchers have described the uptick in recent years of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate speech as “unprecedented.”
Prell emphasized that her goal for this lecture was to persuade the audience that the disillusionment in the American government and the rise in hate speech were not representations of the increasing polarization in the country but instead represented the “struggle between civic nationalism and racial nationalism.”
She explained that American civic nationalists view the United States as a changing nation “grounded in law built on equal rights for all citizens and all residents.” In contrast, she describes American racial nationalists as those who attempt to “assign blame for changes that in their mind have victimized Christians and whites.”
While Prell explained that reactionary conservative movements have always been present in the United States, she noted that these modern movements differ from past ones. She identified these emerging movements as the alt-right.
Prell told the audience that based on her research findings, this new sect of the alt-right is composed of predominantly young, white males who are college-educated and “deeply committed” to video game communities. According to Prell, the alt-right’s primary goal is to preserve the power of white males who want to live in a society where patriarchy, heterosexuality and Christianity are maintained.
The alt-right ideology is built on three groups of “enemies”: outside enemies, ideological opponents and enemies within, Prell explained. ”Outside enemies” include groups like Muslim and Hispanic immigrants, while “ideological opponents” include members of the LGBTQ+ community, feminists, people the alt-right considers to be “Social Justice Warriors” and multiculturalists. “Enemies within” are groups like Jewish people and individuals like Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. According to Britannica, Soros has supported liberal causes around the world, including the elections of prominent U.S. Democrats.
Prell also noted an intersection between the alt-right and Christian nationalism, as many enemies of the alt-right are also enemies of Christian nationalists.
Within this modern alt-right movement, Prell emphasized the importance of social media. She identified several social media platforms that have less monitoring, like 4Chan and the now defunct platform, Parler, which have become places for right-wing extremists to connect. Prell argued that many mainstream platforms with monitoring policies, such as Instagram and YouTube, also fail to adequately regulate hate speech.
In addition to the lack of monitoring, Prell explained that social media also helps bolster right-wing extremism because it creates deniability and a sense of connection. In the lead-up to the 2016 election, the alt-right emerged from the fringes, according to Prell. They were drawn to what Prell called Donald Trump’s “middle finger politics,” that emphasized offensive and outrageous statements and defied “political correctness.” Prell said that, since 2016, the alt-right has gained more national attention. Acts of violence committed by alt-right members, including the violence at the 2017 white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017, and the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, have received national media attention.
The alt-right has also been more integrated into the mainstream. Prell noted that these groups now have a place within the Republican party and are more vocal at the local level, including in libraries and school boards.
Dr. Prell concluded her lecture with a summary of her key points. She emphasized her belief that the United States is in a “fight for democracy and human rights,” describing alt-right groups and Christian nationalists as “fundamentally anti-democratic” and antisemitic.
Sally Rolland ʼ27, who attended the panel, thought the lecture covered important topics for an election year in particular. “It is impossible to make informed decisions about voting without understanding the politics and fraught ideologies that define our current era of American politics,” Rolland said.
Rolland also noted that these issues impact both politics and social interactions. “It can be incredibly dangerous to think everyone shares the same ideals and worldview as you,” Rolland said, reflecting on the panel. “The major thing this panel did was act as a reminder … that Christian nationalism, white supremacy and xenophobia, in general, aren't fringe movements and aren’t a thing that only exists in textbooks. They are mainstream, they’re here and they’re now. And, unless we do anything about it, they’re here to stay.”