Amy Cooter

Director of Research, Academic Development and Innovation at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism, Middlebury College

I aim to understand how masculinity and whiteness are intersecting, lived experiences that shape people's attitudes about nationalism and racial politics in contemporary US society. I have studied how Michigan Militia members understand themselves as a group that lauds an historical moment where white men had a monopoly of social power, but who see themselves as the last line of defense for American values of equality and justice. Understanding how militia men navigate this contradiction yields insights into lower-middle class white men's understanding of race and who is a "real" American.

Experience

2022–present

Senior research fellow, Middlebury's Center for Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism
2013–2022

Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Vanderbilt

Education

2013

University of Michigan, PhD
2005

Vanderbilt University, BA

Publications

2011

Neo-Nazi Nationalism, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism
2006

Neo-Nazi Normalization: The Skinhead Movement and Integration into Normative Structures, Sociological Inquiry

Grants and Contracts

2007

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

Role:

Funding Source:

Professional Memberships

American Sociological Association
Southern Sociological Society

Honours

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow

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