Radicalising the mainstream?: a constellation approach to white supremacist activism CSTPV Seminar featuring Professor Pete Simi

Over the past decade, scholars have struggled to conceptualise the diverse range and dynamic nature of activism that has manifested within US white supremacism. Our thinking has been too tied to conventional forms of activism, such as rallies and marches, and traditional indicators of white supremacism, such as Ku Klux Klan regalia and swastika tattoos. There has also been a tendency to focus more attention on groups and leaders and less attention on how practices, ideas and emotions circulate across time and space in a way that has transformed segments of the mainstream into radicalised factions with distinct points of focus but an underlying unity of purpose.

As a corrective, Professor Pete Simi offers a constellation approach that emphasises white supremacism's adaptability and capacity to shift narratives. In this talk he will describe the conceptual benefits related to employing a constellation approach. As part of the discussion, he will also address key points of continuity and change related to US white supremacism and its central role in the current attack on American democracy.

Pete Simi is a Professor of Sociology at Chapman University and member of the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology and Education (NCITE) Center at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. He has studied social movements and political violence for more than 25 years, conducting interviews and observation with a range of criminal groups and political extremists.