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This article maps the nodes of the far-right ecosystem as it intersects with the touchstones of the medieval past—both real and imagined. In particular, I examine how the visual and textual rhetoric of the medieval past (and its various reincarnations) is re-deployed in contemporary white terrorism, especially from Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 and Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019.
Acker, Lizzy. “Jeremy Christian’s Vocabulary and Related Ideas, Explained.” The Oregonian, 9 January 2019. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2017/06/jeremy_christians_vocabulary_a.html.
Akbarzai, Sahar and Julia Jones. “Brazil fines Telegram for not suspending far-right congressman’s account.” CNN. 25 January 2023.
Anderson, Carol. White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide. Bloomsbury, 2016.
Baker, Kelly J. “The Artifacts of White Supremacy.” Religion and Culture Forum, 14 June 2017. https://voices.uchicago.edu/religionculture/2017/06/14/813/.
Bambury, Brent. “Medieval History Scholars Are Suddenly on the Front Lines in the Fight Against White Supremacists.” CBC Radio, 29 September 2017. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-357-little-rock-nine-historians-vs-neo-nazis-tabatha-southey-fired-robots-yuval-harari-and-more-1.4309188/medieval-history-scholars-are-suddenly-on-the-front-lines-in-the-fight-against-white-supremacists-1.4309219.
Bennett, Tom. “Gab Is the Alt-Right Social Network Racists Are Moving To.” Vice, 4 April 2018. https://www.vice.com/en/article/ywxb95/gab-is-the-alt-right-social-network-racists-are-moving-to.
Bernstein, Joseph. “Alt-White: How the Breitbart Machine Laundered Racist Hate.” BuzzFeed, 5 October 2017. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/heres-how-breitbart-and-milo-smuggled-white-nationalism.
Betancourt, Roland. “Istanbul Will Be Constantinople: Byzantium Between Radicalized Orthodoxy and Islamaphobia,” Session: “God Does Not Will It: Medieval Memes and Radicalization” at Babel17 Conference: Make/Risk/Work. 2017.
Brockell, Gillian. “The Accused New Zealand Shooter and an All-White Europe That Never Existed.” The Washington Post, 16 March 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/03/16/accused-new-zealand-shooter-an-all-white-europe-that-never-existed/.
Brown, Jesse. “Hey Americans: Why Are You Ignoring The New Online Right’s First Mass-Shooter.” BuzzFeed News, 13 February 2017. https://www.buzzfeed.com/jessebrown/hey-americans-quebec-city.
Burley, Shane. “Why Is Audible Still Featuring Far-Right Author Jack Donovan?” Truthout, 3 June 2019, truthout.org/articles/why-is-audible-still-featuring-far-right-author-jack-donovan/.
Christmas, Danielle. “From Heritage Politics to Hate: Neo-Confederate Novels & White Protectionism.” Blog. 10 August 2018. https://daniellechristmas.com/2018/08/10/book-chapter-from-heritage-politics-to-hate-neo-confederate-novels-white-protectionism/.
Daniels, Jessie. Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Rights. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009.
Daniels, Jessie. “The Algorithmic Rise of the ‘Alt-Right.’” Contexts, vol. 17, no. 1, 2018, pp. 60–65.
Donovan, Joan. “How Hate Groups’ Secret Sound System Works.” The Atlantic, 17 March 2019. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/03/extremists-understand-what-tech-platforms-have-built/585136/.
Donovan, Joan. Tweet. Twitter, 15 March 2019, 10:49 AM, https://twitter.com/BostonJoan/status/1106568218884354048. Accessed 1 Sep. 2022.
Evans, Robert. “Shitposting, Inspirational Terrorism, and the Christchurch Mosque Massacre.” Bellingcat, 15 March 2019. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-world/2019/03/15/shitposting-inspirational-terrorism-and-the-christchurch-mosque-massacre/.
Evola, Julius. Revolt Against the Modern World. Inner Traditions, 1995.
Evola, Julius. The Hermetic Tradition: Symbols and Teaching of the Royal Art. Inner Traditions, 1995.
Evola, Julius. The Mystery of the Grail: Initiation and Magic in the Quest for the Spirit. Inner Tradition, 1996.
Feuer, Alan. “How Buffalo Suspect’s Racist Writings Reveal Links to Other Attacks.” New York Times. 16 May 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/us/buffalo-shooting-replacement-theory-christchurch-el-paso.html.
Garcia-Rojas, Claudia. “The Long History of Presumed White Innocence and Black Guilt.” Truthout, 10 December 2014. https://truthout.org/articles/the-long-history-of-presumed-white-innocence-and-black-guilt/.
Gorcenski, Emily. Tweet. Twitter, 10 Oct. 2018, twitter.com/EmilyGorcenski/status /1050050511758610433. Accessed 1 Sep. 2022.
Hatewatch. “Flags and Other Symbols Used by Far-Right Groups in Charlottesville.” Southern Poverty Law Center, 12 August 2017. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/12/flags-and-other-symbols-used-far-right-groups-charlottesville.
Heilweil, Rebecca. “Parler, the ‘Free Speech’ Social Network, Explained.” Vox, 24 Nov. 2020, www.vox.com/recode/2020/11/24/21579357/parler-app-trump-twitter-facebook-censorship.
Hendrix, Justin. “Pro-Trump Telegram Channel Preserved by Researchers Studying Hate Speech Captures Planning for January 6.” Tech Policy Press, 13 July 2021, techpolicy.press/pro-trump-telegram-channel-preserved-by-researchers-studying-hate-speech-captures-planning-for-january-6/?fbclid=IwAR3hV57qtoRrgD5eFILSjiqnxXv5Pi_mBPLk5zb1lkGTM1BqKhs2wBv9KG4.
Hope Not Hate. The International Alternative Right: An Explainer, 2019. https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Alt-Right-report-SHORT-2019-v1.pdf. Accessed 29 June 2023.
Horowitz, Jason. “Steve Bannon Cited Italian Thinker Who Inspired Fascists.” New York Times, 10 February 2017.
Hosenball, Mark. “Steve Bannon Drafting Curriculum for Right-Wing Catholic Institute in Italy.” Reuters, 14 September 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-politics-bannon-catholics/steve-bannon-drafting-curriculum-for-right-wing-catholic-institute-in-italy-idUSKCN1LU176.
“How Gamers Are Facilitating the Rise of the Alt-Right” (NBC News video, 3:39, 27 October 2017), https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/long-story-short/video/how-discord-became-the-alt-right-s-favorite-organizing-platform-1082921539520.
Hughes, Eléonore. “Telegram app back on in Brazil after judge lifts suspension.” AP. 29 April 2023. https://apnews.com/article/brazil-violence-schools-technology-1f48e38bddef741e11a4a05e2e242ffa.
“Kevin MacDonald.” Southern Poverty Law Center. Accessed March 24, 2019. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/kevin-macdonald.
King, Elizabeth, and Patrick Strickland. “Why the Far Right’s Rallying Cry of a Leftist ‘Civil War’ Is No Laughing Matter.” Pacific Standard, 3 November 2017. https://psmag.com/social-justice/why-the-far-rights-rallying-cry-of-a-leftist-civil-war-is-no-laughing-matter.
Liao, Shannon. “Discord Shuts Down More Neo-Nazi, Alt-Right Servers.” The Verge, 28 February 2018. https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/28/17062554/discord-alt-right-neo-nazi-white-supremacy-atomwaffen.
Livingstone, Jo. “Racism, Medievalism, and the White Supremacists of Charlottesville.” The New Republic, 15 August 2017. https://newrepublic.com/article/144320/racism-medievalism-white-supremacists-charlottesville.
Lyons, Matthew N. “Ctrl-Alt-Delete: An Antifascist Report on the Alternative Right.” Political Research Associates, 20 January 2017. http://www.politicalresearch.org/2017/01/20/ctrl-alt-delete-report-on-the-alternative-right/.
Mathias, Christopher, and Rowaida Abdelaziz. “‘They Were Watching Us, Not Watching Our Backs.’” Huffington Post, 10 December 2020. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/christchurch-massacre-report-new-zealand-youtube_n_5fd15310c5b68ce17185012f.
Montagne, Renee, and Becca Lewis. “Alternative Influence: Broadcasting the Reactionary Right on YouTube.” NPR, NPR, 23 Sept. 2018.
N., S. “The Far Right’s New Fascination with the Middle Ages.” The Economist, 2 January 2017. https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2017/01/02/the-far-rights-new-fascination-with-the-middle-ages.
“Occidental Quarterly.” Southern Poverty Law Center. Accessed March 24, 2019. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/occidental-quarterly.
Owen, Tess. “Decoding the Racist Memes the New Zealand Shooter Used to Communicate.” Vice, n.d., sec. 15 March 2019.
Palmer, James T. “The Fake History That Fueled the Accused Christchurch Shooter.” The Washington Post, 18 March 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/03/18/fake-history-that-fueled-accused-christchurch-shooter/.
Penny, Daniel. “#Milosexual and the Aesthetics of Fascism.” Boston Review, 14 Nov. 2022, www.bostonreview.net/articles/daniel-penny-milosexual/.
Powell, Brian. “The Supremacy Cause: Inside The White Nationalist Movement.” Media Matters for America. 19 September 2011. https://www.mediamatters.org/white-nationalism/supremacy-cause-inside-white-nationalist-movement.
“Quebec: Alexandre Bissonnette Charged with Six Murders.” Al Jazeera, 31 January 2017. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/1/31/quebec-alexandre-bissonnette-charged-with-six-murders.
Roston, Aram, and Joel Anderson. “The Moneyman Behind the Alt-Right: This Man Used His Inherited Fortune to Fund the Racist Right.” BuzzFeed News, 23 July 2017. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/aramroston/hes-spent-almost-20-years-funding-the-racist-right-it.
Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques on 15 March 2019. “Ko Tō Tātou Kāinga Tēnei: Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Masjidain on 15 March 2019,” 26 November 2020. www.christchurchattack.royalcommission.nz.
Schiano, Chris. “Leaked: A Year Inside the Failed Neo-Nazi Traditionalist Worker Party.” Unicorn Riot, 5 April 2018. https://unicornriot.ninja/2018/leaked-a-year-inside-the-failed-neo-nazi-traditionalist-worker-party/.
Shroder, Landon. “Charlottesville White Supremacist Starts New Organization.” RVA, 13 October 2017. https://rvamag.com/news/virginia-news/charlottesville-white-supremacist-starts-new-organization.html.
Silverman, Craig, and Jane Lytvynenko. “The Eerie Absence of Viral Fakes after the New Zealand Mosque Attacks.” BuzzFeed News, 15 March 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/new-zealand-mosque-shooting-viral-fakes-disinformation.
Spangler, Todd. “Parler Shut Down by New Owner: ‘A Twitter Clone’ for Conservatives is Not a ‘Viable Business.’” Variety, 14 April 2023.
Swenson, Kyle. “Rebekah Mercer, the Billionaire Backer of Bannon and Trump, Chooses Sides.” The Washington Post, 5 January 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/05/rebekah-mercer-the-billionaire-backer-of-bannon-and-trump-chooses-sides/.
Tharoor, Ishaan. “The Racist Theory That Underlies Terrorism in New Zealand and the Trump Presidency.” The Washington Post, 18 March 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/03/18/racist-theory-that-links-terror-new-zealand-trump-presidency/.
The George Washington University Medieval and Early Modern Studies Institute, “The Middle Ages, the Crusades, and the Alt Right: A Symposium”, http://www.gwmemsi.com/2017/09/the-middle-ages-crusades-alt-right.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2019.
The Canadian Press, “Father of Quebec City mosque shooter urges Trudeau to stop calling his son a terrorist.” CBC, 26 April 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bissonnette-terrorist-1.5112027.
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Varkiani, Adrienne Mahsa. “Team DeSantis Created That Weird Meme Video with the Giant Nazi Symbol. 1 August, 2023. https://newrepublic.com/post/174753/its-confirmed-team-desantis-created-video-giant-nazi-symbol.
Waldman, Peter. “‘Crusade’ Reference Reinforces Fears War on Terrorism Is Against Muslims.” The Wall Street Journal, 21 September 2001. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1001020294332922160.
Wilson, Jason. “Do the Christchurch Shootings Expose the Murderous Nature of ‘Ironic’ Online Fascism?” The Guardian, 15 March 2019. https://amp.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2019/mar/15/do-the-christchurch-shootings-expose-the-murderous-nature-of-ironic-online-fascism?.
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