So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax Movement

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the social and economic instability that followed, has given new life to conspirituality and far-right ideology in so-called Australia. This article discusses how politico-spiritual communities invested in both conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality have pieced toget...

全面介紹

書目詳細資料
發表在:Humanities
Main Authors: Madi Day, Bronwyn Carlson
格式: Article
語言:英语
出版: MDPI AG 2023-10-01
主題:
在線閱讀:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/5/112
_version_ 1850267133767843840
author Madi Day
Bronwyn Carlson
author_facet Madi Day
Bronwyn Carlson
author_sort Madi Day
collection DOAJ
container_title Humanities
description The COVID-19 pandemic, and the social and economic instability that followed, has given new life to conspirituality and far-right ideology in so-called Australia. This article discusses how politico-spiritual communities invested in both conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality have pieced together settler narratives about a New World Order and external threats to Western society from far-right and white supremacist Christian ideology circulated via new media. Using anti-colonial discourse analysis, we elucidate the undercurrent of white supremacist ideology in the Australian anti-vax movement, and highlight the misuse of Indigeneity in far-right and anti-vax narratives. We discuss how these narratives are settler-colonial and how conspiritualists co-opt and perform Indigeneity as a form of settler nativism. As a case study, we analyse the use of the term sovereignty by settlers attached to Muckadda Camp—a camp of ‘Original Sovereigns’ occupying the lawn outside Old Parliament house from December 2021 to February 2022. Using Indigenous critique from both new media and academia, we argue that although settlers may perform Indigeneity, they are exercising white supremacist settler narratives, and not Indigenous sovereignty.
format Article
id doaj-art-e17347f05b7d44c2a0fc3a089e9cd17d
institution Directory of Open Access Journals
issn 2076-0787
language English
publishDate 2023-10-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
spelling doaj-art-e17347f05b7d44c2a0fc3a089e9cd17d2025-08-19T23:44:17ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872023-10-0112511210.3390/h12050112So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax MovementMadi Day0Bronwyn Carlson1Department of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, AustraliaDepartment of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, AustraliaThe COVID-19 pandemic, and the social and economic instability that followed, has given new life to conspirituality and far-right ideology in so-called Australia. This article discusses how politico-spiritual communities invested in both conspiracy theories and New Age spirituality have pieced together settler narratives about a New World Order and external threats to Western society from far-right and white supremacist Christian ideology circulated via new media. Using anti-colonial discourse analysis, we elucidate the undercurrent of white supremacist ideology in the Australian anti-vax movement, and highlight the misuse of Indigeneity in far-right and anti-vax narratives. We discuss how these narratives are settler-colonial and how conspiritualists co-opt and perform Indigeneity as a form of settler nativism. As a case study, we analyse the use of the term sovereignty by settlers attached to Muckadda Camp—a camp of ‘Original Sovereigns’ occupying the lawn outside Old Parliament house from December 2021 to February 2022. Using Indigenous critique from both new media and academia, we argue that although settlers may perform Indigeneity, they are exercising white supremacist settler narratives, and not Indigenous sovereignty.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/5/112settler conspiritualitysettler nativismsovereigntyanti-vax
spellingShingle Madi Day
Bronwyn Carlson
So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax Movement
settler conspirituality
settler nativism
sovereignty
anti-vax
title So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax Movement
title_full So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax Movement
title_fullStr So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax Movement
title_full_unstemmed So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax Movement
title_short So-Called Sovereign Settlers: Settler Conspirituality and Nativism in the Australian Anti-Vax Movement
title_sort so called sovereign settlers settler conspirituality and nativism in the australian anti vax movement
topic settler conspirituality
settler nativism
sovereignty
anti-vax
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/12/5/112
work_keys_str_mv AT madiday socalledsovereignsettlerssettlerconspiritualityandnativismintheaustralianantivaxmovement
AT bronwyncarlson socalledsovereignsettlerssettlerconspiritualityandnativismintheaustralianantivaxmovement