The Confederate Diaspora

Samuel Bazzi, Andreas Ferrara, Martin Fiszbein, Thomas Pearson and Patrick Testa

No 18200, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: This paper presents a new framework to understand when and how migrants shape culture. We apply this framework to analyze the outsized influence of the Confederate diaspora. Despite their small numbers, Southern White individuals that migrated after the Civil War played a pivotal role in spreading Confederate symbols and racial norms across the United States by the early 20th century. Their far-reaching influence stemmed from two key conditions: an ideological intensity rooted in their experiences of slavery, secession, and military defeat, and access to malleable power structures during westward expansion and postwar reconciliation. These conditions enabled them to transmit Confederate culture to both kin and non-Southern neighbors and to expand their reach by mobilizing civil society organizations. By leveraging positions of authority, they shaped institutions and policies that entrenched racial norms and inequalities in labor markets, housing, and the criminal justice system. Our findings provide empirical foundations for understanding how migrants can transform local culture, rather than merely assimilate.

Keywords: Migration; Culture; Institutions; Ideology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 J15 J18 N31 N32 P16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-06
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Working Paper: The Confederate Diaspora (2023)
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