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Social Movement Studies and Far Radical Right: Theoretical and Empirical Enquiries
Language: French and English
In many parts the world, especially in those areas more exposed to processes of economic, social and geopolitical crisis, we’re observing an affirmation of far right formations that are acquiring consensus and participation, building their collective actions by calling into question the universalistic principles of the fundamental rights invoking dimensions of cultural, religious and security nature. These formations can also be different from one another: some are openly violent and racist, some others more interested to the cultural dimension of collective action. They are also connected in international networks, using technologies as a tool for political propaganda.
The study of these movements also presents difficulties connected to the access to the research field, since qualitative inquiry techniques need a direct connection with actors that are the object of the study.
Even if there’s a large literature about radical and populist right parties, the study of far right movements from a social movements’ studies perspective, keen on understanding individual meaning of the participation to collective action is still pretty small. In the past decades the attention of social movement studies was concentrated upon movements that affirmed universalistic and emancipation principles while nowadays it is even more necessary to focus the attention on those movements characterised by racist, xenophobic and intolerant discourses.
Which analytical categories can be used to explain collective action and the meaning of individual participation? Which challenges come from the field study of these movements?
We encourage papers presenting innovative theoretical perspective, as well as empirical and comparative researches.