Class, Race, and Urban Politics: the 1920s Ku Klux Klan Movement in the United States

Abstract

Recent research has challenged traditional views of the 1920s-era Ku Klux Klan in the United States. Case studies have shown that the movement appealed to a broad middle-class constituency and advocated a range of popular reforms. These findings have stimulated a provocative debate over whether the movement represented a mainstream “civic populism” or a more racist reaction to change. Here, I review the recent debate and show how the new data are consistent with current sociological models of collective action. Comparing studies of Klan mobilization in several cities, I argue that the movement was both populist and racist, combining processes of contemporary urban racial and class formation. From this perspective, I suggest, the 1920s Klan highlights a critical moment in the development of racial and class identities in 20th century urban America.

Citation

Rhomberg, C. (2005), "Class, Race, and Urban Politics: the 1920s Ku Klux Klan Movement in the United States", Davis, D.E. (Ed.) Political Power and Social Theory (Political Power and Social Theory, Vol. 17), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0198-8719(04)17001-4