Abstract
Humans turn to ritual and symbol in the best and worst of times. From Nazis to white supremacists to the Taliban, groups intent on restraining human rights and freedoms use rituals and symbols to foster hate and division. Ordinary people use rituals to respond to such violence with rituals that foster love and connection. This chapter explores ritual in an age of terror and violent extremism. It defines and compares the ritualistic aspects of terrorism and violent extremism. Then it documents and describes two ritual responses to the perceived violent extremism evident in the 2016 election of Donald Trump.
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Schirch, L. (2022). Ritual in an Age of Terror. In: Gordon-Lennox, J. (eds) Coping Rituals in Fearful Times. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81534-9_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81534-9_11
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