Date of Award

Fall 2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Gorski, Philip

Abstract

While rightist politics have drawn increased scholarly attention in recent years, the study of movements on the right lacks the depth and nuance afforded to movements on the left. This dissertation investigates organizing, communication, and funding strategy by the New Right in the United States. The papers in this dissertation address misconceptions about rightist movements that limit scholarship, including calling attention to their heterogeneity, historical embeddedness, and leadership dynamics. The first paper in the dissertation addresses the perception of the Christian Right as monolithic, demonstrating the strategic organizing and ideological/theological work involved since the 1960s in bringing disparate and hostile faiths and denominations into coalition, and in maintaining that tenuous coalition through the present day. The second paper applies the dangerous speech framework to an analysis of anti-abortion and anti-gay direct mail from Christian Right organizations in the 1980s and 1990s, demonstrating that the extreme rhetoric found in social media follows after an ink-and-paper tradition. The final paper in the dissertation adds to the sparse body of scholarship on rightist philanthropic foundations, addressing foundation giving behavior, movement ecosystem entrepreneurs, leadership and influence, and trust-based relationships through analysis of a unique dataset of grants and annual reports from the 1970s through 1990s.

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