American Renaissance (magazine) - History

History

The magazine and foundation were founded by Jared Taylor, and the first issue was published in November 1990.

American Renaissance states that it is a monthly magazine first published in 1991. A section called What We Believe on the organization's website states that "Race is an important aspect of individual and group identity. Of all the fault lines that divide society — language, religion, class, ideology — it is the most prominent and divisive. Race and racial conflict are at the heart of the most serious challenges the Western World faces in the 21st century. The problems of race cannot be solved without adequate understanding. Attempts to gloss over the significance of race or even to deny its reality only make problems worse. Progress requires the study of all aspects of race, whether historical, cultural, or biological. This approach is known as race realism."

The magazine's arguments are usually explained using social science and genetics, but one article mentioned Biblical arguments against interracial and inter-cultural marriages. The magazine and foundation promote the view that differences in educational outcomes and per capita incomes between racial populations can be attributed at least in part to differences in intelligence between races. Such has resulted in accusations of white supremacy, though the magazine's editor, Jared Taylor, has expressed on numerous occasions his view that East Asians have higher average IQs than white people.

American Renaissance, the New Century Foundation, or Taylor are alleged to have had links with organizations such as the Council of Conservative Citizens, the Pioneer Fund, and the British National Party. Don Black and David Duke have attended AR conferences and have been seen talking with Taylor. The organization has held bi-annual conferences that are open to the public and that attract 200-300 people. Critics say some who attend are neo-Nazis, white nationalists, white separatists, Ku Klux Klan members, Holocaust deniers, and eugenicists (as well as numerous protesters).

Contributors to the magazine and conferences have included Stephen Webster, Michael Levin, Nick Griffin, Bruno Gollnisch, J. Philippe Rushton, Glenn Spencer, Lawrence Auster, Richard Lynn, Sam Dickson, and Samuel T. Francis.

The Anti-Defamation League writes that "Taylor eschews anti-Semitism. Seeing Jews as white, greatly influential and the “conscience of society,” Taylor rather seeks to partner with Jews who share his views on race and racial diversity" and "Jews have been speakers and/or participants at all eight American Renaissance conferences" although controversy followed accusations by David Duke, who was not a scheduled presenter, at the 2006 conference. Taylor in response wrote that "There will be no more disgraceful behavior of this kind if people who attend AR conferences bear in mind that Jews have a valuable role in the work of American Renaissance, and are welcome participants and speakers. Anyone who thinks otherwise has the choice of staying home or keeping his views to himself."