Date of Award
10-2024
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Styleguide
chicago
Degree Name
History: Public History: M.A.
Department
History
College
College of Liberal Arts
First Advisor
Maureen O'Brien
Second Advisor
Mark Jaede
Third Advisor
Kevin Sharpe
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Abstract
This thesis explores the origins and evolution of Neo-Völkisch white supremacist ideologies in the United States, tracing their roots back to the medieval past, the German Völkisch movement in the nineteenth century, and their subsequent reemergence in the United States today. In the aftermath of the Charlottesville rally in 2017, the use of medieval imagery by white supremacist groups has become increasingly prevalent. Yet, its historical underpinnings remain largely unknown to the general public. This thesis aims to shed light on appropriation by examining its beginnings in the Romantic-era Völkisch movement that emerged in the late-nineteenth century in Germany. Subsequently, this movement was co-opted by the Nazis and combined with contemporary ideas of scientific racism. From there, this thesis traces the re-emergence of these ideas in the United States starting in the 1970s, where they have taken root in organized Neo-Völkisch organizations. This thesis demonstrates how modern expressions of Neo-Völkisch ideology continued to be shaped by nineteenth-century ethnic nationalism and the concept of the Volk, or a racialized national community. Of particular significance is how Manifest Destiny facilitated racial hierarchies in the United States, allowing for the creation of a distinct American Volk with striking similarities to its German counterpart. Through this analysis, this thesis highlights the enduring influence of Völkisch thought on American political and social structures and the continued influence these ideologies have on contemporary white supremacist movements and their enduring appropriation of medieval imagery.
Recommended Citation
Fontaine, Lacey K., "In Plain Sight: Appropriated Norse and Medieval Symbols Shed Light on the Dark History of an American Volk" (2024). Culminating Projects in History. 37.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/hist_etds/37
