From Anglo-Saxon Nativism to Executive Order: Civil Religion and Anti-Immigration Rhetoric
This article examines one aspect of current disagreements over immigration reform Anglo-Saxon nativist rhetoric through the lens of civil religion. It argues that the idea of America as a New Jerusalem can sometimes take on a nativist and even ethno-centric cast. The analysis uses two case stu...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
[2016]
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| In: |
Politics and religion
Year: 2016, Volume: 9, Issue: 4, Pages: 771-793 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article examines one aspect of current disagreements over immigration reform Anglo-Saxon nativist rhetoric through the lens of civil religion. It argues that the idea of America as a New Jerusalem can sometimes take on a nativist and even ethno-centric cast. The analysis uses two case studies to articulate the ways in which this nativism can play out in terms of civil religion: Patrick J. Buchanan's folding of immigration concerns into his culture wars rhetoric and some of the far-right rhetoric coming out of the 2016 presidential race in America. This sort of rhetoric can also be found surrounding President Obama's executive action on immigration. The analysis shows that these fears combine a view of American chosenness with a sense of existential threat generated by rapid demographic changes. However, while this rhetoric is grounded in civil religion, it is also a symptom of the corruption of the prophetic core of American civil religion. |
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| ISSN: | 1755-0491 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Politics and religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S1755048316000389 |