Hate Groups: A Reference Handbook

Newton (The Climate Change Debate: A Reference Handbook; Gender Inequality: A Reference Handbook) begins this book with a brief history of global hate groups, including religious groups and state-sponsored groups, plus a report on hate groups currently active in the United States. He covers white supremacist, antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim, and neo-Nazi groups, with an emphasis on the best-known factions in each sect. Newton examines the groups’ origins, organizational structures, operations, recruitment strategies, and symbols. He also discusses efforts to combat hate groups through education, legislation, legal actions, and community counteroffensives. Eleven essays from hate group researchers dive more deeply into the topic and provide enlightening analyses on the theoretical, technical, and personal concerns and debates surrounding the topic. There are also profiles of six people and six organizations dedicated to anti-hate causes, including Heidi L. Beirich, Morris Dees, the Anti-Defamation League, and Not in Our Town. The book is supplemented by five data tables on evolving trends and current statistics and 12 primary source documents of legislative acts and court cases. Students and general readers who will conduct further research are well supported by the book’s extended chronology; glossary; directory of annotated sources from books, articles, and reports; and endnotes in many entries.