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Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the US Militia Movement / Amy Cooter

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What I think they all have in common is what they want is some idealized last version of America. And what differs across those groups is exactly what that looks like for them. Neo Nazi groups explicitly want a version where white people have power and maybe where there are only white people in this country. For militia groups, they don't necessarily have those same race based or religious based ideas. Instead, they're idealizing the notion of small government, of rosy economics and not necessarily thinking about the complexities that get wrapped up in that. Many of them will verbalize, either overtly or otherwise, thinking about going back to the 1950s when it was simple and only one person in the household had to work and you could afford a house and you could afford an education, but they don't always think about how the 50s weren't so great.

Sociologist Amy Cooter joins This Is Hell! to discuss her new book from Routledge, Nostalgia, Nationalism, and the US Militia Movement. After the interview, we announce this week's best answer to the Question from Hell!

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Guest

Amy Cooter

Amy Cooter is a senior lecturer in sociology at Vanderbilt University

amycooter.com