Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age

Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age - Paperback

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Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
  • Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age - Paperback

Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age - Paperback

by Ibram X. Kendi
$37.00
$37.00

Book Overview

by Ibram X. Kendi (Author)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The acclaimed author of How to Be an Antiracist and the National Book Award winner Stamped from the Beginning charts how "great replacement theory" has become a dominant political idea of our time and ushered in an antidemocratic age.

"Kendi argues brilliantly that we must work across race and class lines to eradicate social ills and eliminate fascism."--Los Angeles Times

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2026 BY: The New York Times, Oprah Daily, LitHub, Foreign Policy, The Millions

Recall the words chanted in Charlottesville, Virginia: "You will not replace us!" Recall the string of mass shooters across the globe--in Oslo, Christchurch, Buffalo, El Paso, and Pittsburgh--who claimed their crimes were a defense against "White genocide." Recall business and media figures cultivating anxiety and furor over demographic change. These incidents only scratch the surface: Popular and ruling politicians in every region of the world have expressed some version of great replacement theory, eroding democratic norms in the name of preventing demographic change.

The term was coined in 2011 by a French novelist who argued that Black and Brown immigrants were "invading" Europe, brought by shadowy elites to "replace" the White population. From there, politicians and theorists in the United States and elsewhere repackaged it as a story of "globalists" welcoming "migrant criminals" and promoting diversity to take away the jobs, cultures, electoral power, and very lives of White people. Over time, great replacement theory has expanded those under threat to include citizens, men, Jews, Christians, heterosexuals, and ethnic majorities in countries as distinct as Russia, El Salvador, Brazil, Italy, and India, all targeted with the message that they are facing an existential attack that only a strongman can prevent.

In Chain of Ideas, internationally bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi offers an unsettling but indispensable global history of how great replacement theory brought humanity into this authoritarian age--and how we can free ourselves from it.

Author Biography

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is a professor of history and the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism. He is the author of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning and the international bestseller How to Be an Antiracist and has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant.

Number of Pages: 832
Dimensions: 1.66 x 9.22 x 6.07 IN
Publication Date: May 05, 2026
Large Print: Yes
ISBN9798217169917
Author Ibram X. Kendi
PublisherRandom House Large Print Publishing
GenreNews & politics and Education
FormatPaperback
PublishedMay 2026
LanguageENG- English
Pages832
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeLarge Print

Related Subjects

Nonfiction Political Science Social Science

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More by Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You

Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You - Paperback

Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You - Paperback

By Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

About Ibram X. Kendi

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor. He is the host of the new action podcast Be Antiracist. Dr. Kendi is the author of many highly acclaimed books including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest-ever winner of that award. He has also produced five straight #1 New York Times bestsellers, including How to Be an Antiracist, Antiracist Baby, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored by Jason Reynolds. In 2020, Time magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant.

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