ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY AND THE GREAT
REPLACEMENT
Crisis and Security Management MSc, Leiden University Dr. Jelle van
Buuren, Dr. Malte Riemann & Isabelle Frens
Security Challenges in a Globalizing World
S3715930
26-10-2025
3293 words
, 1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................1
Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
Theoretical framework................................................................................................................ 3
Analysis........................................................................................................................................ 7
Collapse of Continuity: From Global Dislocation to Personal Anxiety................................7
Restoring Meaning through Crisis Narratives.................................................................... 8
Securing the Self through Othering and Purification..........................................................9
Analytical Synthesis......................................................................................................... 10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 11
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................13
, 2
Introduction
The increasing interconnection of the globalized world has transformed how security is
understood and experienced. Economic instability, migration, technological acceleration, and
political polarization have blurred boundaries between the personal and the political, reshaping
how individuals make sense of belonging and stability. Within this environment of uncertainty,
ontological (in)security theory offers a valuable framework for understanding how identity,
emotion, and meaning are affected by global change. Rather than treating security as the absence
of threat, it considers it a social, political, and mental construction shaped by the need for
continuity and coherence.
This paper applies the analytical lens of ontological (in)security to The Great
Replacement, the manifesto written by Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant. Tarrant
livestreamed his terrorist attack, during which 51 individuals lost their lives. The manifesto
provides insights into how large-scale societal transformations, such as globalization, cultural
diversification, and demographic shifts, can be internalized as existential insecurity. It explores
how these dynamics interact across different levels: the global processes that reshape societies,
the national narratives that give them meaning, and the individual responses that translate them
into action.
The purpose of this paper is to examine how Tarrant’s worldview reflects ontological
insecurity and how mechanisms such as trust, routines, narratives, anxiety, and othering shape
his search for stability and belonging. The analysis seeks to show that his violence represents not
only political radicalization but also an ontological response to perceived disorder. Following
this introduction, the theoretical framework outlines the key literature on ontological (in)security.
The subsequent analysis applies these concepts to The Great Replacement, and the conclusion
reflects on the explanatory power and limitations of the framework.
ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY AND THE GREAT
REPLACEMENT
Crisis and Security Management MSc, Leiden University Dr. Jelle van
Buuren, Dr. Malte Riemann & Isabelle Frens
Security Challenges in a Globalizing World
S3715930
26-10-2025
3293 words
, 1
Table of Contents
Table of Contents.........................................................................................................................1
Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
Theoretical framework................................................................................................................ 3
Analysis........................................................................................................................................ 7
Collapse of Continuity: From Global Dislocation to Personal Anxiety................................7
Restoring Meaning through Crisis Narratives.................................................................... 8
Securing the Self through Othering and Purification..........................................................9
Analytical Synthesis......................................................................................................... 10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 11
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................13
, 2
Introduction
The increasing interconnection of the globalized world has transformed how security is
understood and experienced. Economic instability, migration, technological acceleration, and
political polarization have blurred boundaries between the personal and the political, reshaping
how individuals make sense of belonging and stability. Within this environment of uncertainty,
ontological (in)security theory offers a valuable framework for understanding how identity,
emotion, and meaning are affected by global change. Rather than treating security as the absence
of threat, it considers it a social, political, and mental construction shaped by the need for
continuity and coherence.
This paper applies the analytical lens of ontological (in)security to The Great
Replacement, the manifesto written by Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant. Tarrant
livestreamed his terrorist attack, during which 51 individuals lost their lives. The manifesto
provides insights into how large-scale societal transformations, such as globalization, cultural
diversification, and demographic shifts, can be internalized as existential insecurity. It explores
how these dynamics interact across different levels: the global processes that reshape societies,
the national narratives that give them meaning, and the individual responses that translate them
into action.
The purpose of this paper is to examine how Tarrant’s worldview reflects ontological
insecurity and how mechanisms such as trust, routines, narratives, anxiety, and othering shape
his search for stability and belonging. The analysis seeks to show that his violence represents not
only political radicalization but also an ontological response to perceived disorder. Following
this introduction, the theoretical framework outlines the key literature on ontological (in)security.
The subsequent analysis applies these concepts to The Great Replacement, and the conclusion
reflects on the explanatory power and limitations of the framework.
