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Abstract
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AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT:
This research was undertaken to develop an anthropological perspective on America's 'Militia Movement,' a movement which has resulted in the bombing of a Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the derailment of two Amtrak trains, and hundreds of lesser violent crimes. Data were collected between March 1995 and November 1997 through a variety of methods, including ethnographic participant observation. After analysis of the data and comparison with several anthropological and sociological models, several conclusions were drawn. The first of these is that there is little or no support for the argument the activism in the Militia Movement can be correlated with a lack of formal education, nor is there a strong correlation with economic status. Correlations were found, however, with economic insecurity and with pre-existing right-wing political activism. The most overwhelming conclusion, however, is that the main motivating factor for militia members is a pre-existing fundamentalist perspective. This perspective is primarily of a religious nature; however, there are indications of the existence of a 'secular fundamentalism' applied to political beliefs and Constitutional interpretations. (Abstract Adapted from Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, 1998. Copyright © 1998 by John Keith Akins; University Microfilms International)
Florida
Caucasian Adult
Caucasian Offender
Caucasian Violence
White Supremacy
Militias
Religious Factors
Political Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Violence Causes
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