Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the US Militia Movement

Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the US Militia Movement is an accessible primer on US militia movements, exploring their history from the Revolutionary War to the attempted insurrection of January 6th and beyond.

NPR's Andrew Limbong talks to Amy Cooter of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies about how realistic an idea of a second civil war is

Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the US Militia Movement is an accessible primer on the contemporary US militia movement. Exploring the complicated history of militias in the United States, starting with the Revolutionary War period, this book leverages unique data from ethnographic fieldwork, in-depth interviews, and previously unseen archival materials from militia founder Norm Olson to detail the modern movement's origin and trajectory through the attempted insurrection of January 6th and beyond.

This book uses the lenses of nostalgia and settler colonialism to explain militia members' actions and beliefs, including their understandings of both nationalism and masculinity. This approach situates militias in a broader political landscape and explains how and why they will continue to be relevant actors in American politics.

A general audience will find this book approachable, and it will be of particular interest to people studying militias or other social movement organizations whose vision of an ideal nation rests on a nostalgic image of the past and potentially encourages political violence.

Autorentext

Amy Cooter, PhD, is the Director of Research, Academic Development and Innovation at Middlebury Institute's Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism. Prior to joining Middlebury, Professor Cooter was a senior lecturer in sociology at Vanderbilt University.

Klappentext

Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the US Militia Movement is an accessible primer on US militia movements, exploring their history from the Revolutionary War to the attempted insurrection of January 6th and beyond.

Inhalt

Introduction

1. The Modern US Militia Movement: Member's Motivations, Beliefs and Practices
2. Militia History in the US: Contextualizing the Modern Movement
3. Militia Origins: The Gospel According to Norm Olson
4. The Oklahoma City Bombing and Militia Decline: A Floundering Father
5. Settling for Nostalgia: How Nostalgia and a Rural Mentality Shape the Militia Movement
6. The Movement's Trajectory: The early 2000s, the Trump Era, and Beyond
7. Conclusion: Signals of Violence and Informed Best Practices