Chain of Ideas (2026)

The National Book Award–winning author of 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] has a gift for tracing how historical ideas metastasize into present, real-world damage. . . . Kendi reveals the mechanics behind the myth, and why confronting it is now a democratic necessity.”—Oprah Daily 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…

Published
2026
Pages
563