Inform Your Resistance

Frederick Clarkson, a seasoned analyst of politics and religion, teams up with André Gagné, an expert on theological perspectives, to illuminate the New Apostolic Reformation. They dive into its potential to reshape U.S. democracy, highlighting the intertwining of militant Christian ideologies with political extremism. The conversation reveals how violent beliefs are proliferating and the historical roots of this movement, shedding light on its rise and profound implications for American political landscapes.

In this episode, Koki interviews Laura Pulido, Collins Chair and Professor of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies and Geography at the University of Oregon, who studies race, environmental justice, and cultural memory. They discuss the intersection of racial and climate denialism, and how these realms of politics, understanding, and identity buttress one another. Laura and Koki dig into some of the key insights from Pulido's work, an invaluable vocabulary with which to parse the salience of emotion, identity, and belonging in crystallizing and simultaneously mobilizing oppressive political ideologies and practice in the face of environmental injustice. EPISODE RESOURCESThe “Business-as-Usual” of Right-Wing Climate Realism by Ajay Singh Chaudhary, Political Research Associates, 2024.Cultural Memory, White Innocence, and United States Territory: The 2022 Urban Geography Plenary Lecture by Laura Pulido, Urban Geography, 2023. Distorting the Climate Crisis: Far Right Environmentalism with Alex Amend, Inform Your Resistance Podcast, 2023.Blood and Vanishing Topsoil American Ecofascism Past, Present, and in the Coming Climate Crisis by Alex Amend, Political Research Associates, 2020.From White Privilege to White Supremacy: An Illustrated Interview with Laura Pulido by Danya Al-Saleh & Heather Rosenfeld, Edge Effects, 2016. Wildfire Rumors and Denial in the Trump Era by Laura Pulido in Political Ecologies of the Far Right: Fanning the Flames, 2024. Environmental Deregulation, Spectacular Racism, and White Nationalism in the Trump Era by Laura Pulido, Tianna Bruno, Cristina Faiver-Serna, & Cassandra Galentinein Environmental Governance in a Populist/Authoritarian Era, 2020.Reimagining ‘Justice’ in Environmental Justice: Radical Ecologies, Decolonial Thought, and the Black Radical Tradition by Laura Pulido and Juan De Lara, Environment & Planning E: Nature & Space, 2018.Producers, Parasites, Patriots: Race and the New Right-Wing Politics of Precarity by Daniel Martinez HoSang & Joseph E. Lowndes, UMN Press, 2019.Living in Denial Climate Change, Emotions, and Everyday Life by Kari Marie Norgaard, MIT Press, 2011.--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------Climate Denial, Climate Denialism, Environmental Justice, Environmental Racism, Historic Sites, Memorialization, Memorials, Oregon, Racial Denial, Racial Denialism, Rural Community, Rural-Identified Community, Surplus of White Nationalism, White Nation, White Nationalism, Wildfires

In this episode, Koki sits down with Shane Burley to discuss some of the most peculiar, and—at times, most influential—corners of the Far Right, capturing a spectrum of White nationalist, misogynist organizing that spans the neopaganist Wolves of Vinland to the multiracial, hypermasculine Proud Boys to the highly suspect community of so-called Formers.Shane also provides timely updates on his seminal pieces written for PRA on these movements and we discuss their significance for the broader landscape of White nationalist organizing. He also shares a clear-eyed defensive, preventative strategy for disrupting the continued growth of the Far Right, leaving us with a navigable path forward.Episode ResourcesCollapse of White Nationalist Party Offers Lessons for Anti-Fascist Strategy, Shane Burley, TruthOut, 2024.Can You Ever Trust a Former White Nationalist?, Shane Burley, The Public Eye, 2022.Total Life Reform: The Real Consequences of the Far Right’s Self-Help Grift, Shane Burley, Political Research Associates, 2020. The Far-Right Tribe Sacrificing Animals, VICE, 2023.KeywordsFar Right, Formers, Multi Level Marketing,  Proud Boys, Shane Burley, White Nationalism, White Nationalists, Wolves of Vinland

In this episode of Inform Your Resistance, Koki reads “Total Life Reform: The Real Consequences of the Far Right’s Self-Help Grift” by Shane Burley, the second in our new From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA’s more than 40 years of publishing. This article was published in the Fall 2020 issue of The Public Eye magazine, and you can read the article here.

Aidan Orly, a writer and researcher at Political Research Associates, dives deep into the world of Christian Zionism and its role in shaping American politics. He discusses how this movement uses biblical interpretations to support Jewish nationalism and its growing influence within the U.S. Orly highlights the authoritarian nature of these groups and their connection to anti-Muslim sentiments. The conversation also explores how tourism tied to Christian Zionism impacts Palestine and the ways the Left can push back against these powerful ideologies.

In this episode, Koki reads “Why Are Gen Z Girls Attracted to the Tradwife Lifestyle?” by Marielle Cooksey, the first in our new From the Archives series. From the Archives features those must read and, now, must listen to pieces from PRA's more than 40 years of publishing. In this article, Cooksey explores the growing online Tradwife subculture, one with deep ties to White nationalism, Christian nationalism, and anti-feminism. This article was published in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of The Public Eye magazine, and you can read this article online at politicalresearch.org.Mariel Cooksey is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Canadian Institute for Far-Right Studies (CIFRS). Her current research focuses on the intersection of climate collapse and accelerationism, as well as anti-government movements in Western Canada.EPISODE RESOURCES:The Real Tradwives: Why More Young Moms Are Becoming Traditional Housewives, Caroline Burke, Katie Couric Media, 2024From Baking To Hating: Tradwives and Terrorism with Dr Kristy Campion, Kristy Campion, The Wholesome Show, 2023#TradWives: Sexism as Gateway to White Supremacy, Miranda Christou, openDemocracy, 2020 The Housewives of White Supremacy, Annie Kelly, The New York Times, June 1, 2018, sec. Opinion. Conversations with Other (Alt-Right) Women: How Do Alt-Right Female Influencers Narrate a Far-Right Identity?, Maria-Elena Kisyova, Veilleux-Lepage Yannick, and Newby Vanessa, Journal for Deradicalization, no. 31 (2022): 35–72.Tradwives: The Housewives Commodifying Right-Wing Ideology, Sophia Sykes, and Veronica Hopner, GNET, 2023EPISODE KEYWORDS:America First, Anti-feminism, Anti-LGBTQ, Christian Nationalism, Climate Collapse, Christian Fundamentalism, Ecofascism, Far Right, Feminism, Manifest Destiny, Misogyny, Online Amplification, Nick Fuentes, Racism, Social Media, TikTok, Tradwives, Tradwifery, White Nationalism, White Supremacy

This week, Inform Your Resistance is on a mid-season break. Instead of interviewing a guest, host Koki Mendis shares some quick takes on incredible new content from our quarterly magazine, The Public Eye. See links to the pieces she discusses below, and listen to the episode for Koki’s analysis!“Project 2025: How Trump Loyalists and Right-Wing Leaders Are Paving a Fast Road to Fascism,” by Peter Montgomery, The Public Eye, 2024. “County Capture: The Role of Militias in County Governments in Central and Southside Virginia,” by Carolyn Gallaher and Priya Dixit, The Public Eye, 2024. “Review: The Age of Insurrection,” by Shane Burley, The Public Eye, 2024.“When the Sheriff Is Above the Law: The Rise of the Far Right in Western New York,” by Raina Lipsitz, The Public Eye, 2024.“Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Author Q&A with Dr. Maha Hilal,” by Habiba Farh, The Public Eye, 2024.“Countering the Ideology of “Violent Care”: Lessons from Bay Area Radical Abortion Defense,” by Angela Hume, The Public Eye, 2024.“Practicing Emergent Strategies to Fight the Right and Resist Fascism,” by Andrea J. Ritchie, The Public Eye, 2024.“The Art of Activism: Zoe Newton,” The Public Eye, 2024.

In this episode, Koki interviews Peter Montgomery, Research Director at People for American Way, to discuss Project 2025, the Right’s playbook to remake the U.S. government as we currently know it toward authoritarianism. Peter discusses the architects of this plan, the people and movements who have signed on to it, and the implications for the American public if it should be put into place. Koki and Peter discuss how the Right has stitched together such disparate tensions and factions in the Right, in Peter’s words, with the am to do so “long enough just to get the power they need to overwhelm political and legal opposition.” They end the conversation with how useful Project 2025 is to mobilize and organize the Left to take action, and offer what we must and can do to forestall a precipitous decline into authoritarianism.Episode Resources:Project 2025: How Trump Loyalists and Right-Wing Leaders Are Paving a Fast Road to Fascism by Peter Montgomery, The Public Eye, 2024.Project 2025: An Authoritarian Conspiracy. Conspirituality Podcast, Episode 187. January 4, 2024.Ryan Anderson’s Road Map for Marriage Resisters by Peter Montgomery, Right Wing Watch. July 2, 2015.The MAGA enemies list is growing, and so are the odds that you’re on it, by S. Myrick, The Hill. February 26, 2024.“Project 2025” Promises Revenge, Oppression, and Autocratic Rule by Thomas Zimmer, Democracy Americana. March 4, 2024.Project 2025 is GOPers’ blueprint for destroying the planet. It must be stopped, by Will Bunch, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 2023. What “Project 2025” Would Do to America by Thomas Zimmer, Democracy Americana. February 29, 2024. Project 2025: The Right’s Dystopian Plan to Dismantle Civil Rights and What It Means for Women by Carrie N. Baker, Ms. February 8, 2024.Inside the Next Republican Revolution by Michael Hirsch POLITICO. September 19, 2023.Episode Keywords:Alliance Defending Freedom, American Family Association, American Family Association's Center for Judicial Renewal, America First Legal, American Legislative Exchange Council, American Moment, anti-aborition, anti-CRT, anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ, anti-marriage equality, Article V Convention of States, authoritarianism, Center for Immigration Studies, The Center for Renewing America, Christian Right, Christian Nationalism, Claremont Institute, Corporate Right, Family Research Council, Heritage Foundation, Hillsdale College, Leonard Leo, Moms for Liberty, Project 2025, Republican, Right, Stephen Miller, Students for Life, Trump, Turning Point USA

In this episode, Koki talks with Alex DiBranco, executive director of the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism. Alex breaks down for us: What is male supremacism? What is its relationship to other supremacist ideologies and movements? And how does male supremacism form part of a political strategy? We discuss both the religious and secular versions of male supremacism; its intersection with other right-wing movements; how male supremacism is central to the culture war; its relationship with anti-trans figures on both the Left and the Right; as well as its notorious conspiracism and how that has impacted women politicians and public figures.EPISODE RESOURCESWhat Is Male Supremacism?, IRMS.Misogynist Incels and Male Supremacism: Overview and Recommendations for Addressing the Threat of Male Supremacist Violence by Megan Kelly, Alex DiBranco, Dr. Julia R. DeCook, New America, 2021.Five Ways to Address Male Supremacist Violence by Alex DiBranco, Megan Kelly and Julia R. DeCook, Ms. Magazine, 2021. Before the Alt Right: Anita Hill and the Growth of Misogynist Ideology by Alex DiBranco, Political Research Associates, 2018. A PRA Webinar: Mobilizing Misogyny in the Service of Authoritarianism with Alex DiBranco, Shereen Essof, Isabel Marler, and Tarso Luís Ramos, Political Research Associates, 2020.An IRMS Webinar: Roots, Structures, and Intersections of Supremacism: Bio-essentialism and Anti-Trans Attacks with Blue BuchananIRMS Conference on Supremacism and Authoritarianism: Keynote Panel on education and democracy, 2022.West Virginia textbook battle shows how GOP turned its image from ‘blue blood to blue collar’, an interview with Carol Mason by Kyle Vass, The Guardian, 2021Reading Appalachia from Left to Right: Conservatives and the 1974 Kanawha County Textbook Controversy by Carol Mason, Cornell University Press, 2009.--------- EPISODE KEYWORDS ---------Anti-trans, Authoritarianism, Biological Essentialism, Culture War, Incels, Incel Terrorism, Institute for Research on Male Supremacism, IRMS, Male Supremacy, Male Supremacism, Misogyny, Patriarchy, Right Wing, Women

In this episode, Koki interviews Prachi Patankar, an anti-caste and feminist writer and organizer, to discuss Hindu Nationalism, or Hindutva, a little understood but large and well-resourced movement that has transnational influence on U.S. politics and culture. Prachi explores the connections between Hindu nationalism, White supremacy, and other supremacist ideologies.In the diaspora, including in the U.S., caste hierarchy persists. However, Hindu and dominant caste immigrants in the U.S. fall within the over-simplified group, “people of color.” Prachi discusses how this simplified narrative of race in the U.S. obscures the ways in which Hindu and dominant caste groups can perpetuate supremacist ideology, all while claiming a marginalized racial identity. She argues for more nuanced analysis of race and caste and argues for the importance of a multiracial, multifaith, pro-democracy movement to challenge all supremacist ideologies and create broad solidarity among oppressed communities. EPISODE RESOURCESVivek Ramaswamy Represents the Convergence of White Supremacy and Hindu Supremacy — And He May Well Be Trump’s Running Mate, Usha Kumar, Religion Dispatches, 2023The Global VHP’s [Vishwa Hindu Parishad / World Hindu Council] Trail of Violence, Savera: United Against Supremacy, Savera, 2024The Hindu Nationalists Using the Pro-Israel Playbook, Aparna Gopalan, Jewish Currents, 2023The Trauma of Caste, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Penguin Random House, 2022Bulldozer Justice and the Indian State’s Lawlessness, Harsh Mander, The Caravan, 2024Pink Revolutions: Globalization, Hindutva, and Queer Triangles in Contemporary India, Nishant Shahani, Northwestern University Press, 2021EPISODE KEYWORDSBrahmin Supremacy, Caste Hierarchy, Casteism, Global Right Wing, Hindu Nationalism, Hindu Supremacy, Hindutva, Indian Far Right, Transnational Politics, White Nationalism