Jack Donovan and Male Tribalism

Abstract

This chapter discusses the life and work of Jack Donovan, one of the American Right’s most innovative and influential new thinkers. He was an adherent of the Alt Right for years, yet unlike most alt-rightists Donovan has always treated race as secondary to his focus on men. Donovan first became known for advocating “androphilia,” meaning love or sex between manly men, while rejecting gay culture and justifying homophobia as a defense of masculinity. However, his larger ideological contribution is the doctrine of male tribalism, which evokes the classical fascist ideal of male bonding through warfare. Rejecting the Christian Right’s emphasis on the patriarchal family, Donovan calls for reorganizing society based on “the gang,” a small, close-knit band of fighters in which men can most fully realize their innate masculinity.