Andrew Monteith

Christian Nationalism and the Birth of the War on Drugs, by Andrew Monteith, is a deep dive into the wide view of the war on drugs.

Nothing ever happens literally out of nothing, and the war on drugs didn't suddenly begin with Nixon or even Reagan. It was already well underway which made the next step, which they brought about, that much easier to perpetuate on the American public.

Monteith makes clear from the start that previous histories of the war on drugs didn't so much get things wrong as they focused on aspects that needed highlighting at the time. The racist aspects, the xenophobic elements, and the classism are all valid perspectives. What helps tie them all together is the Protestant nationalism that began fueling it, especially when American Protestantism was more postmillennial in nature. When making society into the kingdom rather than the current flavor of premillennialism that seems to want to help destroy the world to hurry along their fever dream.

Tracing the various forms this nationalism took is intriguing and, as one reads this as a single narrative rather than a bunch of isolated movements, quite convincing. The writing is dense but not in a manner that makes it difficult to follow. There are a lot of connections and through-paths to follow, so the reader needs to be prepared to help connect the dots. That said, Monteith makes most of the connections for us and simply asks us to consider them from our own perspectives.

Highly recommended for those interested in social and cultural history, as well as those looking at the insidious nature of Christian nationalism in general. Those coming at the topic of the war on drugs from one of the perspectives I mention earlier will find a lot here to bolster their arguments, since this does not undermine those views but offers a broader foundation.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (altro)