5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

The growing of far-right in Europe, but also in other countries indicate: far-right actors, ideologies and politics has for large parts of society become the new normal. This is also reflected in research where the normalization of far-right discourses has become critical topics demanding scholarly attention. Europe is currently experiencing a perilous trend of "mainstreaming," wherein ideas and practices that were once considered taboo are now being accepted as "common sense" for growing sections of European politics and societies. This shift facilitates the diffusion of divisive ideologies of unequal worth propagated by the contemporary far-right, particularly concerning minorities, immigrants, and refugees. In this diffusion, far-right actors only play one role – normalization also facilitated and driven by various actors considered to be “the mainstream” within government, media, business and civil society. This poses new challenges to progressive social movements for their organizing, finding alliances and exerting influence.

We invite to submit papers dealing not only with direct interaction of far-right movements and the corresponding counter-mobilizations, but also papers which look into new strategies and alliances of social movements fighting far-right ideologies. In particular:

• What are continuities and recent advances in social movements countering the far-right?
• In how far does the normalization of far-right ideologies affect social movement strategies and alliance making within and across different settings?
• How do progressive movements including environmental, women’s, LGBTQI, labor, peace and solidarity movements deal with the increasing presence of far-right in politics and society.
• Narratives and rhetoric used by far-right to gain mainstream acceptance.