Ontological security applied to the concept
of globalization
The case of the Christchurch shooter
S1871595
Crisis and Security Management MSc, Leiden University
Dr. G.M. van Buuren
Security Challenges in a Globalizing World
23-10-2022
3287 words
,Index
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 3
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................................. 4
THREE KEY DRIVERS OF ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY ....................................................................... 6
TRUST IN A STABLE FUTURE AND DISTRUST OF THE FUTURE ........................................................................... 6
A STABLE SENSE OF HOME AND ALIENATION FROM HOME ............................................................................... 6
TRUST IN SOCIETY AND DISTRUST OF SOCIETY ................................................................................................. 8
ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................................................... 9
ALIENATION FROM HOME.................................................................................................................................. 9
DISTRUST OF SOCIETY ..................................................................................................................................... 10
DISTRUST IN THE FUTURE ............................................................................................................................... 11
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 12
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................ 13
APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................................. 15
2
, Introduction
On the 15th of March 2019, the world was shaken. The always-so-peaceful New Zealand was
the scene of a brutal terror attack that took the lives of 51 people, wounding an additional 40.
The attacker, a 29-year-old Australian male named Brenton Tarrant, attacked two Mosques in
Christchurch whilst wearing a GoPro camera streaming his carnage. His victims were Muslims,
who peacefully went to the Mosques that day. At the beginning of the video, a Muslim standing
outside the Mosque greets Tarrant warmly, after which Tarrant opens fire. The scenes that
follow are appalling. On his large amount of weaponry, Tarrant had written Runic signs
referring to crusades and the SS during the Second World War. Before Tarrant started filming,
he sent a manifesto to a right-wing website. Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison (Leask,
2020).
The manifest called The Great Replacement is the subject of this study. Tarrant’s
manifest is filled with extremist ideas. In his manifesto, he explains why he saw the necessity
for his action. In this essay, the concept of ‘ontological security’ will be applied to the case
study of The Great Replacement. Ontological security functions as an analytical framework to
answer the question: to what extent can the Christchurch shootings be explained by the
perpetrator’s sense of ontological insecurity, based on his manifesto The Great Replacement?
This question will be answered in light of globalization.
Globalization is used to describe the process of slinking relative distance and is a key
driving force in ontological security. The relationship between ontological security and
globalization is paramount. As a result of the earth getting smaller’, the world has grown more
connected. Globalization is defined as: ‘’the growing interdependence of the world’s economies,
cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services,
technology, and flows of investment, people, and information’’ (Peterson Institute for
International Economics, 2018). The concept of globalization is used to describe changes in
society. It has both positive and negative connotations and is used in all disciplines of science
(James & Steger, 2014).
The endeavour to answer this question will start with a profound understanding of the
concept of ontological security. Consequently, an analysis of the academic debate is given.
Subsequently, three drivers are derived from the literature study. These drivers answer the
question of how people start to feel ontological insecure. These drivers are then demarcated and
operationalized. Next, the manifesto is coded based on the drivers. For this part, Atlas.TI
software is used. Afterwards, the code is analyzed. Once again, a link to the literature is made
3
of globalization
The case of the Christchurch shooter
S1871595
Crisis and Security Management MSc, Leiden University
Dr. G.M. van Buuren
Security Challenges in a Globalizing World
23-10-2022
3287 words
,Index
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 3
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................................. 4
THREE KEY DRIVERS OF ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY ....................................................................... 6
TRUST IN A STABLE FUTURE AND DISTRUST OF THE FUTURE ........................................................................... 6
A STABLE SENSE OF HOME AND ALIENATION FROM HOME ............................................................................... 6
TRUST IN SOCIETY AND DISTRUST OF SOCIETY ................................................................................................. 8
ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................................................... 9
ALIENATION FROM HOME.................................................................................................................................. 9
DISTRUST OF SOCIETY ..................................................................................................................................... 10
DISTRUST IN THE FUTURE ............................................................................................................................... 11
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 12
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................ 13
APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................................. 15
2
, Introduction
On the 15th of March 2019, the world was shaken. The always-so-peaceful New Zealand was
the scene of a brutal terror attack that took the lives of 51 people, wounding an additional 40.
The attacker, a 29-year-old Australian male named Brenton Tarrant, attacked two Mosques in
Christchurch whilst wearing a GoPro camera streaming his carnage. His victims were Muslims,
who peacefully went to the Mosques that day. At the beginning of the video, a Muslim standing
outside the Mosque greets Tarrant warmly, after which Tarrant opens fire. The scenes that
follow are appalling. On his large amount of weaponry, Tarrant had written Runic signs
referring to crusades and the SS during the Second World War. Before Tarrant started filming,
he sent a manifesto to a right-wing website. Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison (Leask,
2020).
The manifest called The Great Replacement is the subject of this study. Tarrant’s
manifest is filled with extremist ideas. In his manifesto, he explains why he saw the necessity
for his action. In this essay, the concept of ‘ontological security’ will be applied to the case
study of The Great Replacement. Ontological security functions as an analytical framework to
answer the question: to what extent can the Christchurch shootings be explained by the
perpetrator’s sense of ontological insecurity, based on his manifesto The Great Replacement?
This question will be answered in light of globalization.
Globalization is used to describe the process of slinking relative distance and is a key
driving force in ontological security. The relationship between ontological security and
globalization is paramount. As a result of the earth getting smaller’, the world has grown more
connected. Globalization is defined as: ‘’the growing interdependence of the world’s economies,
cultures, and populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services,
technology, and flows of investment, people, and information’’ (Peterson Institute for
International Economics, 2018). The concept of globalization is used to describe changes in
society. It has both positive and negative connotations and is used in all disciplines of science
(James & Steger, 2014).
The endeavour to answer this question will start with a profound understanding of the
concept of ontological security. Consequently, an analysis of the academic debate is given.
Subsequently, three drivers are derived from the literature study. These drivers answer the
question of how people start to feel ontological insecure. These drivers are then demarcated and
operationalized. Next, the manifesto is coded based on the drivers. For this part, Atlas.TI
software is used. Afterwards, the code is analyzed. Once again, a link to the literature is made
3
