More in common: the domestication of misogynist white supremacy and the assassination of Jo Cox

Abstract

This article considers responses to the murder of a British Member of Parliament, Jo Cox, in June 2016. Cox, a white woman, was assassinated by a white supremacist whose violent hatred extended to white people he deemed “collaborators” and who also exhibited strong misogyny. Cox is remembered for the message in her first speech to Parliament (“we have more in common than that which divides us”) and a “More in Common” campaign was established in her memory. The article situates Cox’s assassination alongside other recent attacks on female, feminist, and racially minoritized political leaders in the UK. Considering feminist and colonial resonances of domestication, the article argues that while the message of “More in Common” holds appeal, the figuring of Cox as foremost a (white) wife and mother has prevented a political confrontation with the misogynist white supremacy of the society in which this violence occurs.