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Rhetorically Right: White Nationalism's Re-Emergence within the United States Post-9/11
Dissertation

Rhetorically Right: White Nationalism's Re-Emergence within the United States Post-9/11

Mark B de Gruchy
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2026
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Abstract

Barry Goldwater Donald Trump George W. Bush Nationalism Richard Nixon Southern Strategy
The U.S. constitution's declaration of church and state's separation is a point of debate. Conceptually, the declaration intends to protect religious freedom by restricting government from religious matters and religious influence out of government affairs. Yet it doesn't appear successful. In fact, Thomas Jefferson emphasizes the declaration while his governmental actionssupported a religious agenda. Nonetheless, the conflation between both have forged an American identity prevalent within citizenship, while conflating Christian faith with whiteness. Ultimately, it excludes non-white communities from legal status. With the advent of Civil Rights, non-white U.S. residents have fought back against the conflation and resisted imperialist oppression in the pursuit of equality. This dissertation will examine historical and contemporary Republican presidential rhetoric and its promotion of White Christian Nationalism. Focusing on the 20th and 21st century, post-the New Deal, I will investigate how their rhetoric in action promotes the U.S. Imperialism and colonization through white Christian nationalism. Using Bourdieu’s Distinction as a lens to analyze the Southern Strategy and its adherence to colonial values, this dissertation will show what resonates with Americans. Additional research referenced in this dissertation are Angie Maxwell, Edward Said and David Spurr, amongst others. Ultimately, the culmination of these authors provides foundational theory to discern intentionality. The geographical emphasis is within the U.S. despite imperialist intervention internationally in an effort to contribute to the literature within American studies through connecting the intersections between U.S. Imperialism, whiteness and Christianity.

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