The “bible” used by a new wave of neo-Nazi terrorists and other extremists will be the topic sociologist and author Spencer Sunshine will discuss at the next Conversations on Race and Police, the ongoing Cal State San Bernardino program.

Sunshine’s presentation will be based on his latest book, “Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism: The Origins and Afterlife of James Mason’s Siege,” when the program takes place on Zoom at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2. Free and open to the public, it can be accessed from a PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android at https://tinyurl.com/csusb-race-policing.

In his book, Sunshine writes of neo-Nazi groups and what helped influence their rise: a newsletter titled Seige by extremist James Mason, published from 1980 to the summer of 1986, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

“‘Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism,’ based on years of archival work and interviews, documents for the first time the origins of ‘Siege,’” the book publisher’s website states.

“First, it shows how Mason’s vision arose from debates by 1970s neo-Nazis who splintered off the American Nazi Party/National Socialist White People's Party and spun off a terrorist faction,” according to the publisher’s website. “Second, it unveils how four 1980s countercultural figures – musicians Boyd Rice and Michael Moynihan, Feral House publisher Adam Parfrey, and Satanist Nikolas Schreck – discovered, promoted, and published Mason. ‘Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism’ explores a previously overlooked period and unearths the hidden connections between a countercultural clique and violent neo-Nazis – which together have set the template for today’s Neo-Nazi terrorist underground.”

The Conversations on Race and Policing program began after the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and its aftermath. Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, triggering extensive protests, demands for systemic reform in policing, and profound dialogues on race and racism. This also led to the inception of Cal State San Bernardino’s Conversations on Race and Policing, abbreviated as CoRP.

In subsequent court cases, three other former Minneapolis police officers implicated in Floyd’s death were given prison sentences.

The series has featured scholars, journalists, law enforcement officers, lawyers, activists, artists, educators, administrators and others from throughout the nation who shared their experience and expertise on issues related to race and policing.

More than 110 forums have taken place since, and video recordings of the sessions are posted online on the Conversations on Race and Policing Lecture Series Archive. 

Upcoming programs, all set for 1 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesdays, include:

The series organizers currently include CSUSB faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, as well as collaborators from other institutions: Amber Broaden (CSUSB and CSU Dominguez Hills, psychology), Stan Futch (president, Westside Action Group), Michael German (Brennan Center for Justice), Robie Madrigal (Pfau Library), Jeremy Murray (CSUSB History), Matt Patino (Crafton Hills College adjunct faculty and CSUSB alumnus), and Mary Texeira (CSUSB sociology).

For more information, contact Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu or Murray at jmurray@csusb.edu.

Also visit the Conversations on Race and Policing webpage.