Abstract
The process of leaving deeply meaningful and embodied identities can be experienced as a struggle against addiction, with continuing cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses that are involuntary, unwanted, and triggered by environmental factors. Using data derived from a unique set of in-depth life history interviews with 89 former U.S. white supremacists, as well as theories derived from recent advances in cognitive sociology, we examine how a rejected identity can persist despite a desire to change. Disengagement from white supremacy is characterized by substantial lingering effects that subjects describe as addiction. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of identity residual for understanding how people leave and for theories of the self.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1167-1187 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | American Sociological Review |
Volume | 82 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2017 |
Keywords
- addiction
- culture
- identity
- racism
- symbolic interactionism
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science