Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Susan Cutter

Abstract

The events of September 11th, 2001, prompted a global reckoning with the threat of international terrorism, leading to intensified awareness and policy responses worldwide. However, amidst this heightened global focus, the United States has faced a concerning rise in politically motivated violence on its soil. Against this backdrop, this thesis delves into the phenomenon of homegrown terrorism within the United States from 2000 to 2020. By employing advanced geospatial techniques, this study seeks to pinpoint areas nationwide with elevated rates of homegrown terrorist incidents. Moreover, it endeavors to uncover potential temporal correlations between these acts of violence and significant events, such as political elections, shedding light on previously overlooked patterns of extremism. This research aims to deepen our understanding of the underlying patterns and motivations driving homegrown terrorism in the United States through a comprehensive analysis of the occurrence's spatial and temporal dimensions. Ultimately, by providing insights, this thesis will potentially equip policymakers with the knowledge to combat this evolving threat effectively. The findings of this study reveal distinct temporal and spatial trends in terrorist occurrences across the nation and within a localized region, offering valuable insights into the dynamics of homegrown terrorism within the United States.

Rights

© 2024, Kyser Daniels-Baessler

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