The Swastika Counter Project

November 08, 2016

The Swastika Counter Project is a public humanities project led by Laurie Gries (CU Boulder) and Kelly Wheeler (Curry College) that tracked and investigated the circulation of swastikas on the streets of the United States between January 1, 2016 and January 20, 2021–a time period often associated with a rise of authoritarian figures such as Donald Trump, an uptick of hatred and antisemitism, and an intensification of white nationalist efforts. Through a longitudinal study of news media, social media, and other sources, over 1300 swastika incidents were identified and then analyzed, visualized, and mapped in order to deepen understanding of the swastika’s contemporary functions in the United States. With this data advocacy website, the Swastika Counter Project aims to expose how swastikas contribute to an unjust contemporary atmosphere of antisemitism and white supremacy within the United States and offer reliable resources for various stakeholders to help address these interconnected ongoing socio-cultural problems.

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