Abstract
Hate crimes are a problem of increasing criminological relevance in Western society, and thus must undergo theoretical examination. This thesis examines the criminological literature on the topic, and presents a seven-point theory explaining the factors that cause people to commit hate crimes. It presents a theory called the Matrix of Hate, which argues that historical tendentiousness, superficially convincing purveyors of hate, illegitimate views regarding territoriality, unconstrained ethnocentrism, fear or inter-ethnic meritocratic competition, encouragement of victimhood, and the promotion of sociopolitical panaceas condition hate criminals, help to create a culture in which bigotry is commonplace, and promote the proliferation of ethnoviolence. Suggestions for further research are presented.