Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict

Abstract: Essays from various points of view explore the history of the Branch Davidians and David Koresh, why the group was labeled a 'cult,' how authorities used unsubstantiated allegations of child abuse to strengthen their case against the sect, the media's role, the orchestration of public relations by government officials, the ideologies of the journalists themselves, and the role played by 'experts' and 'consultants' in defining such conflicts.

Keywords: book review, conspiracy, psychology, religion, Waco Branch Davidian Disaster, Texas, 1993, religious cults 1960, United States.

Title: Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict Editor: Stuart A. Wright Publisher: University of Chicago Press Date Published: August 1995 ISBN: 0226908453 LOCN: BP605.B72A76 1995 Dewey: 299/.93 20 Pages: 394

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CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction: Another View of the Mt. Carmel Standoff

Chapter 1: An Age of Wisdom, An Age of Foolishness: The Davidians, Some Forerunners, and Our Age

Chapter 2: Davidians and Branch Davidians: 1929-1987

Chapter 3: The Davidian Tradition: From Patronal Clan to Prophetic Movement

Chapter 4: Construction and Escalation of a Cult Threat: Dissecting Moral Panic and Official Reaction to the Branch Davidians

Chapter 5: Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes, the Anticult Movement, and the Waco Confrontation

Chapter 6: "Babies Were Being Beaten": Exploring Child Abuse Allegations at Ranch Apocalypse

Chapter 7: Manufacturing Consent about Koresh: A Structural Analysis of the Role of Media in the Waco Tragedy

Chapter 8: Cops, News Copy, and Public Opinion: Legitimacy and the Social Construction of Evil in Waco

Chapter 9: Public Narratives and the Apocalyptic Sect: From Jonestown to Mt. Carmel

Chapter 10: Sects and Violence: Factors Enhancing the Volatility of Marginal Religious Movements

Chapter 11: Religious Discourse and Failed Negotiations: The Dynamics of Biblical Apocalypticism in Waco

Chapter 12: Waco, Federal Law Enforcement, and Scholars of Religion

Chapter 13: Breaching the "Wall of Separation": The Balance between Religious Freedom and Social Order

Chapter 14: The Waco Tragedy: Constitutional Concerns and Policy Perspectives

Chapter 15: The Implosion of Mt. Carmel and Its Aftermath: Is It All Over Yet?

Appendix: Branch Davidians Who Died at Mt. Carmel

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DATA

Title:         Armageddon in Waco : critical perspectives on the
                  Branch Davidian conflict / edited by Stuart A. Wright.
Published:     Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1995.
Description:   xxvi, 394 p. ; 24 cm.
LC Call No.:   BP605.B72A76 1995
Dewey No.:     299/.93 20
ISBN:          0226908445 (cloth : alk. paper)
               0226908453 (paper : alk. paper)
Notes:         Includes bibliographical references and index.
Subjects:      Branch Davidians.
               Waco Branch Davidian Disaster, Tex., 1993.
               Psychology, Religious.
               Cults -- United States -- Psychology.
               United States -- Religion -- 1960-
               Psychology and religion.
Other authors: Wright, Stuart A.
Control No.:   95008872 

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