| by Ian Driscoll
Dr. Cooter’s book, Nostalgia, Nationalism and the US Militia Movement, sheds light on the contemporary world of US militias.
The book explores US militias from the Revolutionary War to post-Jan 6th in a way that is accessible to readers while still providing a gripping narrative of extremist movements in the United States. With a long career researching the far right and extremism, Dr. Cooter utilizes her vast knowledge and expertise to get to the root of militia members’ actions and beliefs to understand how they continue to be relevant actors in American politics.
Dr. Cooter, Director of Research, Academic Development, and Innovation (RADI) here at CTEC, answered several questions about the book. Below is an abridged version, with some questions and answers being modified.
Dr. Cooter, what drew you to writing ‘Nostalgia, Nationalism and the US Movement’ and why?
I started studying militias in the early 2000s because I believed they offered an interesting window into neglected political currents in the US. At the time I finished my graduate studies, most people still believed militias were too “niche” to give serious academic attention. In more recent years, we’ve been faced with the reality of their collective action and of the pervasiveness of the attitudes that they represent.
At the time I finished my graduate studies, most people still believed militias were too “niche” to give serious academic attention. In more recent years, we’ve been faced with the reality of their collective action and of the pervasiveness of the attitudes that they represent.
Why was it important for you to make this book readable to audiences who may not fit into the world of academia?
It was time to put my continued research on these groups in more accessible form so that more people, including law enforcement and other non-academics, can understand more about their motivations and tactics.
Were there any unique challenges or surprises during your research?
I think what people find surprising about my work is two things. First, that being a woman facilitated this work in predominantly male spaces. Being a woman allowed me to ask more questions, to observe more than participate, and to come across as less of a potential threat, which allowed me to see inside more units and personal spaces alike than would have otherwise been the case.
Being a woman allowed me to ask more questions, to observe more than participate, and to come across as less of a potential threat, which allowed me to see inside more units and personal spaces alike than would have otherwise been the case.
Second, it’s difficult to overstate the degree of internal variation in the militia movement. The units and people we tend to hear about on the news, the ones engaged in violent plots have typically represented only a small fraction of all militia members. This matters because it shows we need to do more to understand that variation in the movement for its own sake, especially with real-world limited law enforcement and other resources, and also because we need to know what causes some people to join or evolve into the more stereotypical type of potentially violent militia member. My work answers some of those questions.
We need to do more to understand that variation in the movement for its own sake, especially with real-world limited law enforcement and other resources, and also because we need to know what causes some people to join or evolve into the more stereotypical type of potentially violent militia member.
Dr. Cooter also gave special thanks to the individuals and organizations who supported her groundbreaking research. She writes, “I would not have been able to do my fieldwork without the support of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. I also really appreciate historians Robert Churchill and Darren Mulloy and politics and government professor Lane Crothers, whose excellent earlier work on the militia movement held space in the academic literature for a more nuanced and accurate investigation into it.
The Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies, Middlebury College is thrilled to announce that J.M. Berger and Dr. Sam Jackson are joining our analytic team as Senior Research Fellows.
| by Stephen Diehl
Amy Cooter, senior research fellow at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, wrote an opinion piece for The Conversation, noting a possible change in public sentiment regarding limits of free speech.
