10/04/2024
By Karen Mullins
The School of Criminology and Justice Studies is proud to announce a Dissertation Proposal Defense by Tess J. Hemmila entitled "An Act of Faith?: Understanding Violent Behavior and Legitimization of Violence in Cults."
Date: Friday, Oct. 18
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Coburn Hall Room 210 or via Zoom
Committee:
- Arie Perliger Ph.D., Chair
- Emily Green-Colozzi, Ph.D.
- Neil Shortland, Ph.D.
- Yan Wang, Ph.D.
- Nelly Lahoud, Ph.D.
Abstract:
High-profile incidents of violence have drawn public attention to coercive high-control groups known as “cults.” Cults have been observed to engage in a range of violent behaviors targeting both members of the group and outsiders, including notable events of sexual abuse, homicide, mass suicides, and terrorism. However, the research on violence in cults is often limited in scope, either focusing on a specific form of violence or utilizing a small sample of case studies. Based on the existing literature, there are a variety of internal and external factors that may create environmental conditions for violence. The current research will investigate A) what factors are associated with internal violence compared to external violence, B) what factors are associated with specific forms of violence (such as mass suicide, terrorism, etc.) and C) what strategies cults use to legitimize each form of violence. To provide a comprehensive approach, quantitative models will be used to identify endogenous and exogenous factors associated with violent behaviors and qualitative analysis will be used to identify how and under what conditions violence is legitimized within cult groups’ ideological materials. Together, these methods aim to provide new insights into the factors that may facilitate violence in cults.