Abstract
Drawing from ethnographic and documentary data, this article examines the character of the social spaces that white power movement (WPM) activists create on the Internet and the linkages to their real world activism. Specifically, we explain how white power activists use cyberspace as a free space to create and sustain movement culture and coordinate collective action. The WPM's cyberpresence intersects with and enhances their real world activities by offering multiple opportunities for access and coordination. Virtual contact with the WPM community offers members social support, companionship, and a sense of belonging to a community of Aryan believers. We argue that real and virtual spaces are not completely separate spheres but rather closely inter-twined. Consequently, virtual spaces provide an opportunity to parallel and extend the type of interaction present in real world free spaces that are so critical to nurturing and sustaining white power movement culture.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 115-142 |
Number of pages | 28 |
Journal | Journal of Political and Military Sociology |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - Jun 2006 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)