Write a research paper on the topic of “What distinguishes a survivalist from a prepper?”For the Final Paper, you are asked to analyze a politically-violent individual, group or ideology that exhibited apocalyptic or apocalypticist mindset (explicitly or implicitly), along the same lines of inquiry that guided us throughout the course. My topic is any Doomsday preppers/ Survivalists (esp military variety)
Structure:
1) Cover page, including your name, the topic, the class and the semester is required 2) No Abstract
3) Introduction (3 pages maximum): introducing the group/campaign/person of interest. This is the place to write something general about the circumstances in which they operated, timeline, major events and turning points, etc. No need to introduce theoretical framework or repeat materials that was covered in class.
4) Methods (explain your choice of primary source(s) and describe how you went about obtaining them and if you encountered any systematic problems along the way (for example: if their source was pulled from the net. NOT a personal problem like incidental outage in your internet service)
5) No Conclusions section needed
6) Campaign Analysis: The bulk of the paper should mine the primary source for the role of apocalyptic or apocalypticist mindset in mobilizing for socio-political violence. As you have done many times throughout the course, you are asked to answer the following questions: (Please indicate the letter/number you refer to):
1) In what ways could the ideology, rhetoric and/or acts of the group be considered ‘apocalyptic’ or ‘apocalypticist’?
In other words, what specific elements demonstrate that the group/individual was acting in anticipation of an outcome which was believed to be (Answer at least 4 (FOUR):
A) Far-reaching / Global (meaning: affecting a lot of people)
B) Cataclysmic / Catastrophic (meaning: a sharp change – frequently for the worse – in life as we know it) C) Unprecedented (meaning: nothing like it ever happened before)
D) Irreversible (meaning: things will never be the same)
E) Imminent and unavoidable (meaning: happening soon and there’s nothing that can stop it)
F) Undisputable / Irrefutable (meaning: you can’t convince them that any of the above is untrue)
2) How has the weaponization of the apocalyptic mindset contributed to the aggressiveness and/or violence of the campaign/group/perpetrator?
Specifically, how has the weaponized apocalyptic ideology provided the perpetrator/s with (Answer at least 4 (FOUR):
• A Sense of Meaning (e.g. by explaining current individual frustrations and insecurities as part of a greater conspiracy against people like them)
• A Sense of Redemption & Inculpability (e.g. how their actions will redeem their legacy and/or honor and make up for their shortcomings and failures)
• A Sense of Self-Efficacy & Responsibility (e.g. why they are the best suited / poised for fighting the mythical enemy and ‘saving the world’- likely over and above others)
• A Sense of Identity & Belonging (e.g. how their commitment to the cause provides shared identity across the globe, and thus places them on a continuous and prestigious historical arc stretching all the way back to their valorized role models)
• A Sense of Urgency (e.g. fighting must start immediately since the damage by the enemy is advanced and may become irreversible at any moment)
• A Sense of Resilience (e.g. preparing (‘inoculating’) the perpetrator/s for upcoming hardships and setbacks, which are a viewed as necessary pre-requisite to the ultimate victory)
• A Sense of Hope (e.g. by promising the perpetrator/s massive gains either upon victory or upon death (for the religious: afterlife bliss & privileges; for the non-religious: honor, altruistic satisfaction, confidence in ensuring the survival of their cause and/or kin, etc.)
A useful mental exercise to answer this question would be to imagine what would happen if any of the elements in Question #2 were missing in the ideology or the belief of the group. Would it manage to be as popular? Would it be as effective in recruitment and/or inciting political violence?
As explained and discussed throughout the semester, please limit yourself to processes, phenomena, concepts and terms that were covered in class.
9) References should NOT include class notes, but should include all articles and web links that informed your work and were not distributed as part of the course.
APA format for citations is appreciated, but please do not obsess over it. As was mentioned in #4, if your primary sources took extra effort to
obtain please attach them to your email.
Scope:
Verbosity will be neither rewarded nor penalized. That said, 5-7 pages should suffice to answer the questions above adequately. Papers should have a cover page but no abstract. Paragraphs should be double-spaced, with 1’’ margin and an 11-12pt Times New Roman font throughout. APA format is preferred (but don’t obsess over it – see above).
Format:
Either MS-Word or PDF documents (but not any other format) will be accepted. Use 11-12pt Times New Roman font, Double-Spaced, with 1’’ margin throughout.
Submission Deadline: Sunday 03/17/2023
