Historian and bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi is bringing his latest book tour to Charlotte this week.
In "Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age," Kendi traces the history of what’s known as "great replacement theory” — the idea that demographic change is a threat to certain groups — and how he says that idea has been used by political leaders to gain power.
Kendi spoke with WFAE’s Nick de la Canal about the origins of the theory, why it resonates with some people today and what he sees as ways to respond.
Nick de la Canal: I wonder if we could start with a definition. How do you define the great replacement theory? You actually wrote this out very succinctly in the book.
Ibram X. Kendi: Yes. So I define great replacement theory as a political theory that powerful elites are enabling peoples of color to displace the lives or even livelihoods of white people, who thereby need authoritarian protection. And so when we hear phrases like or terms like "immigrants are invading the nation," we're hearing great replacement theory. When we hear things like "diversity programs are discriminatory," we're hearing great replacement theory. When we hear terms like "the enemy is inside the gates," we're hearing great replacement theory.
De la Canal: And the term is relatively recent. You trace it to a French novelist who is horrified to see African migrants living in France in the 1990s. But the idea actually goes back much further.
Kendi: It does. And what's interesting about ideas are ideas are different than humans — in that most humans are named around the time we're born, but ideas can live for quite some time without a name. And so it was Renaud Camus who named great replacement theory in 2010, but ultimately, this is a theory that was espoused by Nazis. It was this theory that was espoused by eugenicists, that was espoused by people who opposed decolonization or even the end of apartheid South Africa.
De la Canal: And you connect this history to modern-day politics. You kind of touched on this, but how do you see these ideas showing up today, and why do you think that they resonate with some people?
Kendi: Well, I think they resonate with some people because of the fact that people have been struggling. And instead of recognizing the complicated reasons for that, you have a politician or a propagandist coming and telling them, well, you're not getting what you feel like you deserve because Black people or immigrants or Muslims are taking it from you. So it becomes an easy explanation for a very complicated situation, or it allows oligarchs or some of the wealthiest people in the world to essentially deflect blame away from them onto people who are also struggling as well.
De la Canal: I think there's some people who support, say, tougher immigration laws who say that there are real concerns about things like housing, jobs, strain on public service. Do you see a distinction between those concerns and this more conspiratorial line of thinking?
Kendi: Well, first, typically, great replacement theorists radically exaggerate the number of, let's say, immigrants who are coming to a particular nation. So in the case of the United States, if you listen to some of these politicians, you would think that immigrants made up 50%, a third of the population, when about 86% of Americans were born in the United States. And many of these politicians are refusing to expound resources and opportunities for everyone. So they're creating scarcity, which is then causing us to struggle. And then instead of people realizing that actually the scarcity or the lack of resources is because of elected officials who are refusing to ensure we all have enough, instead they're deflecting blame onto immigrants.
De la Canal: So if this idea is gaining traction, what do you see as the most effective way to respond to it? Is it education or policy? Because, you know, it seems like once this idea takes hold, it's hard to diffuse.
Kendi: I would say all of the above and more. To give an example, I wrote in the epilogue that one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of great replacement theory is to prevent the spread of people struggling. And secondly, in terms of education, these politicians have gone to great lengths to conceal the great replacement theory because they know the history of this theory that runs through Nazi Germany and other places.
Historian and author Ibram X. Kendi visits the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte on Saturday, March 28, to discuss his new book, "Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age."
