1. Ethnographies of the contemporary far-right.

Convenors
Elisa Bellè, CEE Sciences Po
elisabelle.bruni@gmail.com

Safia Dahani, LaSSP/Sciences Po Toulouse (France)
safia.dhn.pro@protonmail.com

While the verdict of a «mainstreamed» far right has already been pronounced in the literature (Mudde, 2024), we want to critically interrogate the concept of mainstreaming, by shedding light on the processes that have allowed different formations of this political family to make inroads in social and political arenas (local, national, supranational). Based on ethnographic and/or qualitative contributions, the panel will shed light on the everyday practices in which mainstreaming is embodied, capturing the different socio-political processes that have contributed to turning far-right formations into increasingly legitimate actors. It will explore, both conceptually and empirically, the relationship between mainstreaming and de/radicalization, and the need to distinguish between the two dimensions (Bellè, Faury, 2024). Moreover, the ethnographical scrutiny of this phase of normalization will contribute to the growing debate on the crisis of liberal-democratic systems, nurtured in turn by an increased fragmentation and polarization across societies (Hochschild, 2018).

The panel is structured around two axes, with the aim of providing an in-depth and nuanced analysis of mainstreaming processes of the far-right. 

The first focuses on political alliances and organizational, ideological and cultural exchanges with other groups and parties. This will be explored in two main directions. On the one hand, we want to examine the relationship between the far right and traditional right-wing parties. In this respect, it may be interesting to look at how professionals in right-wing politics have moved to the far right (Dahani, 2023), how they are able to ally in national or local electoral arenas, or to study the radicalization of electoral basis. On the other hand, we want to shed light on the multiple and mobile linkages between far-right parties and extreme-right groups (Castelli Gattinara, Pirro, 2019) across space and time.

The second axis concerns the changes in the ideological, cultural and communicative repertoires of the far right political family (Ashe et al., 2021). In today’s context, far-right organizations must walk a fine line between highly polarized positions in order to satisfy their traditional constituencies, simultaneously trying to enlarge their electoral and militant basis. For example, in terms of gender/sexuality, far right parties often mobilize a femo- (Farris, 2017) and/or homonationalist (Puar, 2013) rhetoric to strategically «racialize sexism» (Scrinzi, 2023), while maintaining traditionalist, anti-feminist, anti-gender and anti-LGBTQI+ stances (Blee, 2020). In this respect, we encourage contributions that examine the different positions, nuances and contradictions of far-right organizations on a set of highly debated and socially dividing issues, such as gender/sexuality, racism/ethno-cultural diversity, climate change.

The panel invites ethnographic and/or qualitative research (single case studies, as well as comparative works), encouraging an epistemological posture attentive to self/reflexivity, positionality and ethical issues (Cammelli, 2021). It is open to a wide range of disciplines (political science, sociology, history, anthropology).

Open questions

  • How are the relationships between far right and moderate right-wing parties changing? 
  • Has the partisan far right severed all ties with the groups and networks that historically structured it? And those with the extreme right groups? 
  • How are old and new networks with anti-feminist, anti-LGBTQI+ and anti-gender groups changing?
  • How is the ideological core of far-right parties changing with regard to a historical issue such as racism? 
  • Are far-right parties mobilizing new communication techniques to distance themselves from the stigma of racism historically associated with these political formations? 
  • How are far-right parties positioning themselves on increasingly salient ideological issues such as the environment, globalization and neoliberalism?

Keywords
far and extreme right; mainstreaming; political institutions; grassroot activism and militantism; ideology; political communication. 

Sub-disciplines or cross-disciplinary areas of concern
gender and sexuality studies; urban and local studies; sociology of political parties; sociology of activism; sociology of voting; sociology of political ideas; social movements studies.

References

Ashe, S., Busher, J., Macklin, G., Winter, A. (Eds.)
2021 Researching the Far Right. Theory, Methods and Practice, London, Routledge. 

Bellè, E., Faury, F.
2024 «Going Local, Going Mainstream? Ethnographic Study of Two French Cities Governed by the Rassemblement National», in Government and Opposition, pp. 1-16. 

Blee, K.
2020 «Where Do We Go From Here? Positioning Gender in Studies of the Far Right», in Politics, Religion & Ideology, 21, 4, pp. 416-431.

Castelli Gattinara, P., Pirro, A. L.
2019 «The Far Right as Social Movement», in European Societies, 21, 4, pp. 447-462.

Cammelli, M. G.
2021 «Taking the Risk–and Its Afterlife. Collaboration, Seduction and Danger in Ethnography with Contemporary Neo-Fascist Movement», in Condition humaine/Conditions politiques, 2, online.

Dahani, S.
2023 «D’un parti à l’autre. Inconstances politiques, reconversions partisanes et professionnalisation du Rassemblement National», in Dahani S., Delaine E., Faury F., Letourneur G. (Eds), Sociologie politique du Rassemblement national: enquêtes de terrain, Villeneuve d’Asq, Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, pp. 223-244. 

Farris, S.
2017 In the Name of Women’s Rights. The Rise of Femonationalism, Duke, Duke University Press. 

Hochschild, A. R.
2018 Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, New York, The New Press.

Mudde, C.
2024 «From the Margins to the Mainstream: A Personal Reflection on Three Decades of Studying and Teaching Far-Right Politics», in Journal of right-wing studies, 2, 1, pp. 139-151. 

Puar, J.
2013 «Rethinking Homonationalism», in International Journal of Middle East Studies, 45, 2, pp. 336-339. 

Scrinzi, F.
2023 The Racialization of Sexism: Men, Women and Gender in the Populist Radical Right, London, Routledge.

Convenors’ bios
Elisa Bellè’s main research interests revolve around the study of the far right, especially in local power and in comparative perspective, as well as on the relations between politics, gender and sexuality (feminist and LGBTQI+ movements; «anti-gender» movements). She recently concluded a research project (Marie Curie fellowship), called ERRANT- Ethnography of Radical Right Across Nations and Territories, comparing the Rassemblement National and the Legaue in local power. Among her recent publications: with Félicien Faury, 2024, «Going Local, Going Mainstream? Ethnographic Study of Two French Cities Governed by the Rassemblement National», in Government and Opposition, 1-16; 2023, «Centro o periferia?: l’approccio reticolare nello studio del femminismo trentino» in Anni di rivolta: nuovi sguardi sui femminismi degli anni Settanta e Ottanta. Roma: Viella.

Safia Dahani’s research focuses on the institutionalization of the Rassemblement National (France). Specialist of the French far right, she works on its leaders and activists, as well as on the role of media coverage in the normalization process of the RN. She recently published «The RN 2.0. Between the professionalization of digital communication and the quest for journalistic attention», in Politiques de communication, 22, 2024. She also co-edited the book Political sociology of the Rassemblement National: field investigations, Villeneuve d’Ascq, Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, 2023.