beyond the brink - CURSOR

about issues reading list newsletter BEYOND THE BRINK: AN APOCALYPTIC TOOLBOX JOHANNA DE VERDIER A prepper; sometimes called a survivalist, is a person who makes preparations for a possible catastrophe—often through investing in personal fallout bunkers, stockpiling supplies, or equipping their house with elaborate defense mechanisms. Predominantly a movement in the United States, its growth and fairly recent knock-on effect on mainstream culture can be connected to the Cold War's rise of paranoia about communism, fears about the atomic bomb, and post-9/11 anxieties of terrorism from within. Echoing much of American libertarianism, preppers often focus on being “free” and living independently from any state, aid, or intervention. This narrative often builds on the idea of what constitutes the “real” America, in which American history is seen as a series of repeated uprisings against the federal government (Crockford, 2018). In the 2011 National Geographic reality TV series

about issues reading list newsletter BEYOND THE BRINK: AN APOCALYPTIC TOOLBOX JOHANNA DE VERDIER A prepper; sometimes called a survivalist, is a person who makes preparations for a possible catastrophe—often through investing in personal fallout bunkers, stockpiling supplies, or equipping their house with elaborate defense mechanisms. Predominantly a movement in the United States, its growth and fairly recent knock-on effect on mainstream culture can be connected to the Cold War's rise of paranoia about communism, fears about the atomic bomb, and post-9/11 anxieties of terrorism from within. E