NCJ Number
171355
Journal
Intelligence Report Issue: 88 Dated: (Fall 1997) Pages: 11-13
Editor(s)
M Potok
Date Published
1997
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Raphael Ezekiel a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health and expert on racism, gives his perspectives on race relations and racist groups.
Abstract
Ezekiel spent time with young members of a neo-Nazi cell in order to understand their lives and thinking and also interviewed Ku Klux Klan and other neo-Nazi leaders. He conducted his research to understand racism in the cultural context. Ezekiel determined several motivations led adolescents to join the neo- Nazi group, including fear, isolation, and resentment. Almost all group members were high school dropouts and indicated many of their basic needs were not met. Ezekiel examines the importance of reducing the vulnerability of young people, the effect of poverty and lack of education on disadvantaged groups, and whether racist youth organizations reflected racism in society at large. He also discusses the effect of socioeconomic factors on the racist movement, the impact of organized racism on society, and stereotypes of white supremacists. 1 photograph