Nativist Nation: Populism, Grievance, Identity, and the Transformation of American Politics

by Clifford Young, Kirby Goidel

Overview

This book presents nativism – the notion that foreign-born immigrants are not "real" Americans – as the leading ideological feature of American politics. Clifford Young and Kirby Goidel offer a rigorous and operational definition of nativism that, in combination with original survey data, explores public attitudes about who counts as an American.

They explain the economic, demographic, and cultural circumstances that cause this condition to break through and demonstrate its distinguishing policy preferences. Not only do the authors define the US as a Nativist Nation historically, they also show how it has profoundly affected contemporary politics.

Specifically, they look at the primary elections in 2015–2016, during which Donald Trump tapped into a wellspring of nativist sentiment and found a receptive audience thanks to bold rhetoric.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783111384535
Publisher:	De Gruyter
Publication date:	11/03/2025
Series:	De Gruyter Series in Race, Ethnicity, and Political Communication , #2
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.06(h) x (d)

About the Author

Clifford Young, Ipsos, USA.
Kirby Goidel, Texas A&M University, USA.

Clifford Young is President of United States Public Affairs at Ipsos. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago.

Kirby Goidel is Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University. He holds a PhD in American Government from the University of Kentucky. He is also former Director of the Texas A&M UniversityPublic Policy Research Institute at and the Louisiana State UniversityPublic Policy Research Lab.