The Confederate Diaspora

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Bazzi, Samuel; Ferrara, Andreas; Fiszbein, Martin; Pearson, Thomas; Testa, Patrick A.
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California San Diego; Center for Economic & Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research; Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); University of Pittsburgh; Boston University; Syracuse University; Tulane University; Tulane University
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6527
• DOI: 10.1093/restud/rdag027
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: economic-development; migration; culture; persistence; HISTORY; nation; birth; institutions; segregation; IDENTITY

摘要

This paper develops a new framework for understanding when and how migrants shape culture, applying it to the Confederate diaspora-a small migrant group that left a large cultural imprint. Southern Whites that migrated after the Civil War played a pivotal role in spreading Confederate symbols and racial norms across the U.S. by the early 20th century. Their far-reaching influence stemmed from two key conditions: (i) an ideological intensity rooted in their experiences of slavery, secession, and military defeat and (ii) access to malleable power structures during westward expansion and post-war reconciliation. These conditions enabled them to transmit Confederate culture to both kin and non-Southern neighbours and to expand their reach by mobilising civil society organisation and leveraging positions of authority. They shaped policies and institutions that helped entrench racial norms and inequalities in labour markets, housing, and the criminal justice system. Our findings provide empirical foundations for understanding how migrants can transform local culture, rather than merely assimilate.