Why Study White Supremacist Terror? A Research Note

Simi, Pete

doi:10.1080/01639620903004572

Cited by 35 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…This paucity of empirical scholarship is problematic not only because right-wing terrorism is a non-negligible security threat whose causes are not well understood, but also because, as Simi (2010) argues, scholarly neglect of right-wing terrorism is an impediment to the study of terrorism more generally. This study seeks to remedy the gap in the empirical literature on the precipitants of right-wing terrorism by conducting a cross-sectional (50 US states), time series analysis on the impact of a broad set of social, political, economic and demographic indicators on counts of terrorist attacks perpetrated by individuals and groups identified with and motivated by right-wing extremist beliefs for the period 1970–2011.…”

Section: Categories Of Motivators Of Right-wing Terrorismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the hazard that right-wing terrorism poses, empirical scholarship on its determinants is scant (Simi, 2010). A large number of descriptive, qualitative works exist but most of these are historical case-studies of specific movements, profiles of individual terrorists or theoretical works discussing some potential root causes of violent right-wing extremism.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The determinants of domestic right-wing terrorism in the USA: Economic grievance, societal change and political resentment

Piazza

2016

Conflict Management and Peace Science

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This study tests three categories of motivations for domestic right-wing terrorism in the USA: economic grievances, particularly those produced by economic restructuring; societal changes that challenge notions of white male privilege; and political and public policy elements that stoke resentments. Executing a series of negative binomial regression estimations on state-level data in the USA for the period 1970-2011, I find that measures of societal factors-specifically increase in abortion rates and growing female participation in the labor force-and political indicators such as Democratic Party control of the White House, precipitate right-wing terrorist attacks. Factors associated with economic hardships-such as poverty, the decline of manufacturing employment and the ''Farm Crisis''-as well as growth of the non-white population, control of state government by the Democratic Party and growth of average Federal Income Tax rates-are not found to be significant predictors of right-wing terrorism. KeywordsExtremism, political violence right-wing, terrorism, USA Domestic, right-wing terrorism 1 in the United States-terrorist activity perpetrated by groups and individuals motivated by various extremist right-wing political ideologies including extreme nationalism, racism and white supremacy, Christian religious radicalism and radical anti-government beliefs-represents a significant threat, but with some notable exceptions is curiously understudied by scholars of terrorism. 2 Since 1970, domestic rightwing terrorists have committed more than 500 attacks in the USA. 3 Although this comprises only about a quarter of all terrorist attacks on US soil-and is only half the number committed by domestic left-wing terrorists-right-wing terrorism has resulted in more deaths than any other type of domestic terrorist activity. Over the period 1970-2011, out of 471

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Section: Categories Of Motivators Of Right-wing Terrorismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

The determinants of domestic right-wing terrorism in the USA: Economic grievance, societal change and political resentment

Piazza

2016

Conflict Management and Peace Science

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“…In the decade following 9/11, the threat of extremist violence generated substantial attention, 54 yet, much of that attention has focused on violent jihadists while ignoring the threat from other types of political extremists. 55 U.S.-based extremist groups, however, also pose a substantial danger. 56 To gain a more comprehensive understanding of extremism, terrorism scholarship would benefit from empirical studies examining multiple ideological backgrounds.…”

Section: Violent Extremism In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizational [Dis]trust: Comparing Disengagement Among Former Left-Wing and Right-Wing Violent Extremists

Windisch

Ligon

Simi

2017

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism

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In order to move beyond the existing push/pull framework to understand disengagement, we apply a systematic coding scheme derived from Mayer and colleagues' integrative model of organizational trust to examine why people leave extremist groups. In doing so, we also rely on in-depth life history interviews with twenty former left-and right-wing extremists to examine whether antecedents of distrust vary between the two groups. Findings suggest substantial similarities and important differences between left-and right-wing extremists' decision to leave. In particular, perceptions of poor planning and organization, low-quality personnel and vindictive behavior generate perceptions of organizational distrust and disillusionment. Although findings from the current study are based on a relatively small sample, notable similarities were identified between both groups regarding sources of distrust (e.g., leaders, group members). We also identified differences regarding the role of violence in weakening solidarity and nurturing disillusionment with extremist activities. We conclude this article with suggestions for future research that extend the study of terrorism and that may have significance for how practitioners address countering violent extremism initiatives.

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“…Members of white supremacist groups are known to commit a variety of different types of crimes that include physical assaults, home invasions, theft, identity theft, counterfeiting, drug distribution, fraud, acts of terrorism, and various forms of hate crimes (Berlet & Lyons, 2000;Flynn & Gerhardt, 1995;Freilich, Chermack, & Caspi, 2009;Hamm, 2002;Hoffman, 2006;Simi, 2010;Simi & Futrell, 2010;Simi, Smith, & Reeser, 2008;Smith, 1994;S. Members of white supremacist groups are known to commit a variety of different types of crimes that include physical assaults, home invasions, theft, identity theft, counterfeiting, drug distribution, fraud, acts of terrorism, and various forms of hate crimes (Berlet & Lyons, 2000;Flynn & Gerhardt, 1995;Freilich, Chermack, & Caspi, 2009;Hamm, 2002;Hoffman, 2006;Simi, 2010;Simi & Futrell, 2010;Simi, Smith, & Reeser, 2008;Smith, 1994;S.…”

Section: Hate Groups In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Members of white supremacist groups are known to commit a variety of different types of crimes that include physical assaults, home invasions, theft, identity theft, counterfeiting, drug distribution, fraud, acts of terrorism, and various forms of hate crimes (Berlet & Lyons, 2000;Flynn & Gerhardt, 1995;Freilich, Chermack, & Caspi, 2009;Hamm, 2002;Hoffman, 2006;Simi, 2010;Simi & Futrell, 2010;Simi, Smith, & Reeser, 2008;Smith, 1994;S. For example, members form political parties, organize public marches and rallies, create and distribute extremist literature, and develop separatist communities (Simi, 2010). In addition to the forms of illegal behavior described above, members of the white supremacist movement also engage in a variety of legal activities.…”

Section: Hate Groups In the United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaving the World of Hate

Bubolz

Simi

2015

American Behavioral Scientist

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The topic of hate group membership and radicalization toward extremist ideologies has received substantial attention in recent years; however, relatively less is known about the process of disengagement and deradicalization. This is troubling because the number of hate groups in the United States has increased and some are known to engage in a variety of violent and criminal behavior. This exploratory study relies on life history interviews with 34 former white supremacists, one of the oldest types of hate groups in the United States, to examine the process of exit from these groups. Findings suggest that exiting is a multifaceted process with a variety of factors that influence a person's decision to leave. The results also highlight a number of difficulties associated with exiting such as ongoing emotions of guilt, ideological relapse, and maintaining social ties with current members of the white supremacist movement.

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Why Study White Supremacist Terror? A Research Note

Cited by 35 publications

References 51 publications

The determinants of domestic right-wing terrorism in the USA: Economic grievance, societal change and political resentment

The determinants of domestic right-wing terrorism in the USA: Economic grievance, societal change and political resentment

Organizational [Dis]trust: Comparing Disengagement Among Former Left-Wing and Right-Wing Violent Extremists

Leaving the World of Hate

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