1st Edition

Maelstrom Christian Dominionism and Far-Right Insurgence

By James Aho Copyright 2024
118 Pages
by Routledge

118 Pages
by Routledge

118 Pages
by Routledge

Maelstrom: Christian Dominionism and Far-Right Insurgence illuminates the latest outbreak of right-wing extremism in America. This book reviews the cyclical nature of right-wing resurgences in American history, dismisses the appropriateness of the word “fascism” to explain them, and then describes in depth the goal of “reconstructing” American institutions on the basis of biblical principles.... Read more

Epigram

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 The Collection: A Study of Right-Wing Extremism

2 The American Far-Right: Historically and Sociologically

3 Christian Dominionism and Its Critics

Interlude 1: Fetus Fetish

4 Christian Dominionism and Violence

5 The Big Lie: Its Model, Making, and Motive

6 The Danse Macabre: Deadly Miscommunications 

Interlude 2: God and Guns

7 The Case of the Minor Family

8 Revisiting Authoritarianism

9 ‘Fascism’ Reconsidered

References

Index

Biography

James Aho is Professor Emeritus at Idaho State University where he has taught for over forty years. Recognized as a Distinguished Researcher and Teacher, he is the author of many books, including Far-Right Fantasy: A Sociology of American Religion and Politics, Body Matters: A Phenomenology of Sickness, Disease and Illness (co-written with his son, Kevin), and Sociological Trespasses: Interrogating Sin and Flesh. Aho is also the author of two award-winning studies of religiously motivated political violence, The Politics of Righteousness: Idaho Christian Patriotism and This Thing of Darkness: A Sociology of the Enemy.

“This is the book we need today: a lucid and insightful analysis of the recent explosion of Christian nationalism, written by the most authoritative voice in the study of American right-wing extremism. It shows the inner logic and the awful attraction that makes this phenomenon such a powerful and insistent threat to social order. It is sobering, but essential for anyone concerned about the fate of democracy.”

Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State