What Will Become of Us? The Great Replacement, History, Narrative, and Religion

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the creation of alternative narratives and world views. These alternative views form part of a system of contested narratives in which multiple narrative streams are created and followed at the same time, with each stream believing they are the correct or real one. These narratives are examined through the usage of the ‘Great Replacement’ theory, a rallying cry adopted by various far-right and extremist groups attempting to stop the influx of enemies who endeavour to destroy their European or American heritage and history. The theory itself entered mainstream discourse after the 2019 Christchurch Mosque shootings, as the shooter entitled his manifesto ‘The Great Replacement.’ Replacement theory eschews that a way of life, the history, heritage, culture, language, and religions are under threat by those who do not subscribe to these links, bringing their own and wishing to subsume these Western ideals. There is a schism between Europe and America in this dichotomy, for the Europeans the fear of replacement comes in the form of ‘non-Europeans’ taking over their countries and changing the landscape to one that is no longer European. For Americans, the fear of replacement comes in the form of the loss of a White and Christian history, one in which God is removed from government, and a ‘woke’ leftist agenda takes over the country. By exploring these narratives, the great fear of a loss of history, and of connections is unravelled. These fears spur many on towards finding like-minded groups and individuals to share that fear with these fears manifesting in various ways including mass violence. By unpacking the Replacement theory through a lens of memory studies, a field that endeavours to explore how memory is viewed by the subject who engage with it. This allows an exploration into the way that narratives, mythology, and religion are shaped via these new narratives, and how these new narratives allow groups to react, form and think about the world.