Identity and Conflict Workshop

“The Shadow Sides of Rootedness. How Geographic Stability Across Generations Fosters Radical-Right Attitudes”
Andreas Wimmer, Lieber Professor of Sociology and Political Philosophy, Columbia University

Abstract: Why do some people hold radical-right attitudes while others don’t? Extending the existing literature, we argue that geographic immobility across generations (“rootedness”) generates micro-milieus that foster attitudes such as chauvinism, ethnic nationalism, authoritarianism and populism. We argue that rootedness produces specific personal network structures and orientations within which radical-right views resonate. Using original data from two surveys, one with US respondents (N=3000) and the other with respondents from 22 countries (N=32,007), we find that rooted individuals are more likely to hold three of the four radical-right attitudes (the exception is populism). We also show that this association is mediated by the structures of personal networks and related attitudes toward parenting, which together form what we term micro-milieus. Family roots are relatively evenly distributed over macro-milieus as defined by education and income and the rural-urban divide. Their association with the three radical right attitudes is accentuated where it contrasts with those of surrounding macro-milieus: among the more highly educated, the more well-off, and those living in left-leaning environments. The article introduces a three-generational perspective on the emergence of micro-milieus and seeks to disentangle their effects on political attitudes from selection into them by using information on the motivations for residential moves contained in the US survey.