Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age

What is behind the rise of the authoritarian and xenophobic movements threatening democracies around the globe? The #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist argues that the answer lies in the great replacement theory—a racist lie that has moved from the margins to the mainstream.

What is the great replacement theory? Variations on the theory have existed for centuries, but it was articulated in its current form by French nationalists in the late twentieth century who believed that black and brown immigrants were being brought into Europe by nefarious forces to “replace” Europe’s white population. The idea was picked up by white supremacist movements in the United States and eventually merged into the mainstream via commentators like Tucker Carlson, who pushed the theory to millions. In their telling, immigration and integration are nothing short of an extinction-level event for white people—and from this fear, a tide of extremist political ideas follow. 

Even as it’s being embraced by increasing numbers of their fellow citizens, most Americans are unfamiliar with the theory, its origins, and its dire implications for this country’s future. In Chain of Ideas, National Book Award–winning historian Ibram X. Kendi examines the roots of the theory in American history and its manifestations in countries around the globe, from Hungary and Russia to France and the United Kingdom—a fascinating tour of antidemocratic ideas that are once again on the rise here at home. His exploration will help readers make sense of our fast-shifting political landscape and equip them to fight this profound threat to the American ideal of multiracial democracy.

About the Author

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is one of the world's foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars. His books have been translated into multiple languages and republished throughout the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Kendi is Professor of History and the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism. He is author of many highly acclaimed bestsellers including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. He is also the author of the international bestseller How to Be an Antiracist. Time magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant.

Author Residence: Washington D.C.

Author Hometown: New York