Facilitative Conditions for Domestic Terrorism: Extremist Political Violence in the United States, 1980-2012

• In Event: 463 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 12. Mobilization and Participation in Right Wing Movements

Abstract

This study utilizes the American Terrorism Study (ATS), 1980 – 2012, to study three types of facilitative conditions theorized as contributing to extremist political violence in the United States: organizational viability, recruitment selectivity and frame crystallization. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), our findings support the theorized necessity of collective action frames in the realization of violent mobilization. Of the two forms of frame crystallization, we find prognostic framing – the identification of actionable solutions and strategies for redress - to be the most necessary condition for the enactment of political violence towards persons. Our findings also suggest that the configuration of these framing tasks, organization size and duration, and open recruitment all facilitate the commission of extremist political violence.

Authors

• Anna E. Tan, University of California-Irvine

• David A. Snow, University of California-Irvine

• Kevin M. Fitzpatrick, University of Arkansas