Betsy Gaines Quammen
Betsy Gaines Quammen is a historian and conservationist. She has studied various religious traditions over the years, with particular attention to how cultures view landscape and wildlife. The rural American West, pastoral communities of northern Mongolia, and the grasslands of East Africa have been her main areas of interest.
Radicalization in the west impacts the entire country. It’s militia, but it’s also an alarming radicalization in rural communities that keeps growing. Her book, American Zion was named top ’50 Books to Understand the West’ by The Colorado Sun.
Topics include:
American Rebel: A Religious War over Federal Land
Fever in America: Infection to Insurrection
Understanding the Misinformation Divide
Science denial
Conspiracy theory
Militia
Public land and wildlife conservation
Religiously influenced agitation
The history of rebellion in the American West from land use to COVID protocols/anti-vaxxer protests
National insurrection and sedition
Early Latter-day Saint Worldview and Radicalization
Brilliant and electrifying….Gaines Quammen’s voice is bright, engaging and smart.
A fascinating primer on the twisted and nefarious legacy of theology, entitlement conquest and patriarchy in the American West
Betsy Gaines Quammen has taken a deep, fascinating dive into a uniquely American brand of religious zealotry that poses a grave threat to our national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife sanctuaries, and other public lands. American Zion provides essential background for anyone concerned about the future of open space in the western United States. It also happens to be a delight to read.