Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the Us Militia Movement

Cover
Half Title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Acronyms
Introduction
	Research for the Book
	Understanding the Militia
	Plan for the Book
1 The Modern US Militia Movement: Member’s Motivations, Beliefs, and Practices
	What Are Domestic Militias?
	Centrality of the Second Amendment
	Who Are Militia Members?
	What Do Members Believe?
		Racism
		Citizenship and Politics
		Nationalism and Nostalgia
	Boy Scouts or Extremists? A Militia Typology
		Typological Blurring
		Distinctions and Overlaps With Other Nostalgic Groups
		Nostalgic Group Interconnections
		Political Winds
2 Militia History in the United States: Contextualizing the Modern Movement
	Colonial Roots and Catalysts
	Nineteenth-Century Militias
	Militias of the 1900s
3 Militia Origins: The Gospel According to Norm Olson
	Sowing the Seeds: Crucial Events in the Militia Movement’s Formation
		The Weaver Family in Ruby Ridge, Idaho
		David Koresh and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas
		The Brady Bill
	Tending the Flock: From Fear to Action
4 The Oklahoma City Bombing and Militia Decline: A Floundering Father
	Oklahoma City and a Nation’s Tribulation
	The Japan Allegation
	Impact on the Movement
	Olson’s Transformation
5 Settling for Nostalgia: How Nostalgia and a Rural Mentality Shape the Militia Movement
	A Rural Mentality
	Nostalgic Nationalism
	Weaponizing Nostalgia
		Racial Threat
		Racism or Cultural Exclusion: A False Dichotomy
	Settler Colonialism
		Nostalgic Memories
		The Legacy of the Frontier
	Nostalgia and Stated Motives for Membership
	Nostalgia’s Influence on Action
		Firearms and Mythic Nationalism
		Sheriffs Within the Nostalgic Settler Worldview
6 The Movement’s Trajectory: The Early 2000s, the Trump Era, and Beyond
	Recent Militia Trajectory
	Movement Evolution
		Millenarianism and Accelerationism
		Boogaloo’s Emergence
		Boogaloo’s Influence
		Militias in the Trump Era
	Case Studies
		The Hutaree
		The Crusaders
		The Wolverine Watchmen
	January 6, 2021
	Future Militia Action
7 Conclusion: Signals of Violence and Informed Best Practices
	Behavior and Beliefs
		Target Specification
		Cavalier Training Practices
		Open Discrimination
		Conspiracism
		Secrecy
	Network Characteristics
		Strict Hierarchy
		Leader Worship
		Inverted Expertise
		Stolen Valor
		Isolation
		Familial Relationships
		Network Characteristics in Practice
	What Can We Do? Suggested Best Practices
		Legal Strictures
		LEO Rapport
		Confidential Informant Movement
		Tidy Prosecutions
	Other Best Practices
		Lower Barriers to Contact for Legitimate Concerns
		What About Communities?
		Structural and Long-Term Solutions
Index