Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-2022
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Croft Institute for International Studies
First Advisor
Marcos Mendoza
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
How do conflict myths mobilize actors in insurgencies? This thesis aims to answer this question by exploring how insurgent leaders engage in revolutionary mythmaking in its messaging to combatants, members of the nation, and the international community, in order to incite and sustain their rebellions. I compare the Zapatista Army of National Liberation of the 1994 Zapatista rebellion and the Kosovo Liberation Army of the 1998 Kosovo war in order to examine the kinds of myths propagated in each case. This study argues that revolutionary mythmaking is not a mere feature of some insurgencies but a necessary condition for an insurgency to occur. The forces compelling fighters to take up arms, nationals to support the cause, and the international community to take interest are myths of folklore, homeland, and heroes. Unlike previous single-case studies, this thesis offers a comparative perspective that reveals commonalities in the kinds of myths propagated in insurgencies.
Recommended Citation
Williamson, Catherine E., "Homeland Calling: Myths as Mobilizers of Conflict in the Zapatista Rebellion and the Kosovo War" (2022). Honors Theses. 2758.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2758
Accessibility Status
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