XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 15-21, 2018)

64

Twenty-First Century Fascism

RC02 Economy and Society (host committee)

Language: English

During the first half of the twentieth century, famously called the Age of Extremes by historian Eric Hobsbawm, the global system experience two devastating world wars sorting out the issue of hegemony and strong social movements posed significant counter-hegemonic challenges that shaped the nature of emerging world society. The different versions of the labor movement (anarchism, socialism, communism) competed with one another and were encouraged to cooperate by the rise of twentieth century fascism, though their relations remained contentious. All three labour traditions where challenged to build solidarities and capacities for resistance in the context of a rapidly change global order. In the first decades of the twenty-first century as somewhat similar situation has emerged. Economic slow-downs and the rise of geopolitical challenger to the global power of the United States are once again moving in the direction of a multipolar interstate system. And strong social movements seem to be emerging. Right-wing nationalist and anti-immigrant movements and parties have emerged in many countries. The purpose of this proposed session is to compare the similarities and differences between twentieth and twenty-first century fascisms and to discuss the prospects for global social change in the first half of the 21^st century.