America Is Not Post-Racial: Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Racism, and the 44th President

by Algernon Austin

Overview

This book is the first in-depth examination of the 25 million Americans with the most intense hatred of President Obama—arguably the most Republican-friendly of recent Democratic presidents—and what the mindsets of these "Obama Haters" teach us about race and ethnicity in America today.

Despite the fact that President Obama was raised by a white mother and white grandparents, and has two degrees from Ivy League universities, he has still been subject to intense racial hatred from a large number of Americans. Even after Obama's presidency, the "Obama Haters"—and their xenophobia, Islamophobia, and racism—will continue to shape American politics.

America is certainly not post-racial, argues author Algernon Austin, PhD, a noted sociologist and author on racial issues who consults on race, politics, and economics in Washington, DC. In this book, he uses the Obama Haters as an appropriate jumping-off point to consider what strategies might begin to reduce racial animosity in the United States—a real concern, considering that demographic trends are likely to exacerbate and escalate race-based hatred in our society.

Austin sets the stage for the discussion by establishing that President Obama is hardly liberal in the eyes of liberal political activists, raising the question of why Obama is so intensely hated by some conservatives. He then compares the views of the Obama Haters—estimated to be some 25 million strong—with conservatives, moderates, and liberals who are not Obama Haters. The author shows how the Obama Haters are distinctly more xenophobic, Islamophobic, and racist than political conservatives who are not Obama Haters, underscoring the fact that the Obama Haters are motivated by more than just conservatism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440841255
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/09/2015
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Algernon Austin, PhD, consults on race, politics, and economics in Washington, DC. He is the former director of the program on race, ethnicity, and the economy at the Economic Policy Institute.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: Obama-phobia in America
Chapter 1 Why Obama Haters Should Love Obama
Chapter 2 The Not-Post-Racial Election
Chapter 3 Angry, Afraid, and Cold: Defining the Obama Haters
Chapter 4 Obama Haters' Racial Attitudes
Chapter 5 Othering Obama, Part I: Xenophobia among Obama Haters
Chapter 6 Othering Obama, Part II: Islamophobia among Obama Haters
Chapter 7 Hot Tea: Obama Haters and the Tea Partiers
Chapter 8 Thinking Like a Hater
Chapter 9 The Future of Hate
Afterword
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Clarence Lusane

"With surgical precision, Dr. Algernon Austin cuts through the obfuscations to identity and criticize the latest extremist segment in U.S. politics: Obama-haters. Employing empirical analysis, survey information, focus group data, and radical theory, he reveals the racial and political sources of the unique animosity targeted at the nation's first black president. He demonstrates with measured and sober inquiry that not only is the United States not post-racial, but is perhaps more racial since the election of Barack Obama. This work is an invaluable and needed contribution to understanding the contours of contemporary race relations in the United States."

Fredrick C. Harris

"This book separates the wheat from the chaff in identifying Obama's fierce opposition. It locates the underbelly of right-wing in America, which is overtly infected with racist attitudes and worldviews. This book is a must read that places Obama's presidency within the context of his type of opposition."

Tim Wise

"Algernon Austin lays waste to the mythology of post-racial politics in America, demonstrating in painstaking detail the way that overt white racial hostility—the kind that even many liberals believe has gone the way of the dinosaur—has been given new life in the age of Obama, thanks to overt race-baiting from the right and a longstanding undercurrent of white racial resentment that has never been fully addressed. This is a vital contribution to our understanding of America's ongoing racial drama, and if we are to make the turn towards multiracial democracy, Austin's message must be heeded!"

Frederick C. Harris

"This book separates the wheat from the chaff in identifying Obama's fierce opposition. It locates the underbelly of right-wing in America, which is overtly infected with racist attitudes and worldviews. This book is a must read that places Obama's presidency within the context of his type of opposition."

Stephen Steinberg is Distinguished Professor of Urban Studies at Queens College and the Graduate Cen

"Algernon Austin's book is a sober reminder that there is much political work to be done before we march off into a postracial future."