Racial and Ethnic Inequality in an Age of Populist Nationalism

Populist nationalist politics have played a growing role in a wide range of democracies in recent years, including the election of leaders such as Donald Trump in the United States and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, among many others, and the widespread success of political parties and social movements across Europe that oppose immigration and European integration, culminating in the Brexit vote. These populist and nationalist successes among racial and ethnic majority populations have often been accompanied by changes in formal social policies and an increase in informal hostilities targeted at racial and ethnic minorities.

With this Research Topic, we invite theoretically and empirically rigorous examinations of the ways in which these political developments impact racial and ethnic inequalities. We are particularly interested in contributions focusing on socioeconomic inequalities, including but not limited to educational inequalities, inequalities in the labor market, inequalities in access to welfare state programs, and inequalities in health and well-being. Potential mechanisms linking macro-level political developments to racial and ethnic inequalities may include, among others, the concrete policy changes that populist nationalist parties have advocated and implemented, changes in the level or forms of informal discrimination and social exclusion, and changes in subjective feelings of belonging and practical strategies within minority communities.

We welcome both geographically comparative contributions and contributions focusing in-depth on a particular country or locale. We encourage empirically rigorous submissions from any methodological tradition.