The push and pull of the ecofascist radicalization process: A case study on the life histories of three ecofascists

As extremist ideologies are becoming an increased risk in our contemporary societies, research has started to focus more and more on what exactly makes individuals obtain such radical views. Following several far-right terrorist attacks over the years, extensive research has been performed on the concept of right-wing extremism. However, one of its subgroups, ecofascism, remains underdeveloped, especially the process of radicalization into ecofascism. In a response to this gap in the research, this thesis presents a case study on the radicalization process of three ecofascists (Anders Breivik, Brenton Tarrant, and Patrick Crusius). In order to get an overview of their life histories, newspaper articles, as well as one additional source per case, which includes a documentary, a government inquiry report, and a case file were selected. Using the push-pull model of radicalization, a thematic analysis was performed, which allowed for the identification of common push and pull factors...Show moreAs extremist ideologies are becoming an increased risk in our contemporary societies, research has started to focus more and more on what exactly makes individuals obtain such radical views. Following several far-right terrorist attacks over the years, extensive research has been performed on the concept of right-wing extremism. However, one of its subgroups, ecofascism, remains underdeveloped, especially the process of radicalization into ecofascism. In a response to this gap in the research, this thesis presents a case study on the radicalization process of three ecofascists (Anders Breivik, Brenton Tarrant, and Patrick Crusius). In order to get an overview of their life histories, newspaper articles, as well as one additional source per case, which includes a documentary, a government inquiry report, and a case file were selected. Using the push-pull model of radicalization, a thematic analysis was performed, which allowed for the identification of common push and pull factors among the ecofascists. The analysis revealed four push factors (traumatic experiences, a lack of social bonds, a changing socio-political environment, and political events) and three pull factors (finding a sense of belonging, radical content online, and inspiration from manifestos). With the exception of inspiration from manifestos, the findings were mostly in line with the assumption that the push/pull factors of ecofascists would be similar to those of right-wing extremists. It should be noted however that due to the small sample size, these results are not necessarily generalizable to the broader group of ecofascists.Show less

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The push and pull of the ecofascist radicalization process: A case study on the life histories of three ecofascists