White nationalism is a term given to an identity movement that white people (sometimes incorrectly called "caucasians") should live separately from non-whites in order to maintain racial purity, and preserve their culture and way of life. It is related to the term, see "White supremacy", though it is considered by some to be a different view. They say that racial supremacy means to dominate other races, while "white nationalism" calls for a separation of lands for the purpose of preservation of European features.
The term "race", though long dispensed-with in terms of any meaningful scientific value, still holds some social value for many who (in part or in whole) base their personal identity upon perceptual characteristics. In all parts of the world, personal identity reflects the degree of awareness and connectivity to the outside world and foreign cultures, thus "race issues" tend to be seen as related to xenophobia, ethnocentrism, and other "culture clash" paradigms.
Similar concerns that may be a catalyst for a distinction of personal identity are religion, gender, language, and differences regarding these issues are often manifested in conflict of one form or another.
The term White Nationalist is used by Neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan, Christian Identity and Aryan Nations groups, which have generally overlapping ideologies based on the alleged inferiority of non-European peoples, and hatred toward Jews. Homosexuals and political leftists are also widely targeted. Many of these groups have condoned violence in the past, and some have built up strong followings mainly in prisons.
As a result of the violent and radical image of white supremacist groups, a growing number of white nationalists have adopted less hostile rhetoric, and portray themselves as conservatives interested in maintaining traditional values, including white dominance in American life. Many of these groups deny advocating white "Supremacy" and instead call for "Separatism" - often with the canard that 'mainstream' minority groups such as the NAACP and LULAC are "separatist" as well. Many also reject the label of "Racist" for "racialist", and point to studies which the contend show clear disparities in "racial" abilities.
American Renaissance and the Council of Conservative Citizens are two leading examples in the United States. In Europe, several far right political parties such as Britain's British National Party France's Front National and Austria's Freedom Party have won fairly wide support based on platforms widely seen as advocating racial separatism in addition to traditional nationalism. Some critics of more mainstream conservativism in the United States and the United Kingdom go further and claim an undercurrent of white nationalism exists in right wing politics (i.e Willie Horton, Pat Buchanan, Pete Wilson, Enoch Powell)- a charge most conservatives bitterly contest.
White nationalists often have a definition of "whiteness" that is more limited than mainstream usage. Jewish and Muslim peoples are rarely considered "white", even if they appear to be European. Hispanics, Portuguese, and Italian people may or may not be considered white, often based on regional backgrounds (Basque Spaniards and Northern Italians may be accepted while Sicilians and Puerto Ricans aren't). European groups may disparage traditional nationalists' enemies in addition to non-whites (British groups may be anti-Irish or anti-German, German groups anti-Slavic for instance). In white minority nations such as South Africa or some Latin American states, there are often arguments for a "white homeland" as well, and white Nationalism takes on a more literal meaning. The inherent arbitrariness of "white" status across the world often causes divisions between and within white nationalist groups.
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