White supremacists and the (pan-)ethnic imperative: On "European-Americans" and "White Student Unions"

Working from literature on the social construction of ethnicity and on whit e ethnic identity, I explore contemporary white supremacist discourse aimed at presenting whites as a "pan-ethnic" community of European descendants, whose ethnicity is equivalent to that of established ethnic and minority co mmunities. First, I look at how white supremacists straggle with uniting al l "whites," negotiate the meanings and boundaries of "whiteness" and "Europ ean-American," and conceptualize their putative ethnicity as lamentable. Se cond, I look at discourse on efforts to organize "White Student Unions." Th e use of the hyphenated-American strategy and the development of white stud ent unions both reflect tactical breaks with the past and are part of a "ne w racist" focus on putting forth a more presentable image for white suprema cy and presenting whites as an ethnic/minority group, with ethnic-like conc erns and traits. If indeed there is an emergent pan-ethnic phenomenon among "European-Americans," then it may prove important to recognize when this p henomenon is rooted in white supremacy and when it is not.