Millennial Visions: Essays on Twentieth-Century Millenarianism

The Americas have always been fertile grounds for millenarian movements, which found their expression through the spirit of revolutionaries and the practical aspirations of the founding fathers. More recently, millenarian themes have also marked the political fringe in spectacular and often violent ways. These eleven original essays, authored by established scholars in the field, explore the ways in which millenarianism pervades late 20th century life, explain how ancient ways of millenarian thinking affect modern thinking, examine the theoretical roots of millenarianism, and detail a number of millenarian movements. Filling an important gap in the existing literature, the essays provide a thorough analysis of the phenomenon of modern millenarianism, focusing on the Americas and on modern controversial movements. This unique volume should facilitate analysis and comparison of the various aspects of millenarianism in the Americas. The first section is comprised of essays that examine the meaning of millennial ideas, and why and how millennial themes can be found across history, from Robespierre’s ideas to The X-Files . The second section of the book contains essays that focus on specific millennial movements. These essays explore and reflect the wide range of millenarianism in the modern Americas, from Black and White supremacist movements to American fundamentalists, and from the UFO subculture to Catholic sects. This collection of essays clearly and carefully explores the millennial urge, the theory and practice of millenarianism and its expression in the Americas.