Radical Right and Emotions

Abstract

The lens of emotion is implicitly employed in a range of research related to the Far Right from elucidating individual-level pathways into far right extremism to informing meso-level group ties. This panel examines a range of empirical cases to exemplify how emotion serves as a mediating structure across various units of analysis. The panelists will examine how emotion stabilizes the participation of individuals by framing grievances, shaping relationships, and providing a social safety net. The impact of emotions on leaving is also considered. The diversity of cases presented will foster methodological and theoretical discussions of how the lens of emotion contributes to Far Right research. Methodologically, the study of emotion is often intuited rather than explicitly interrogated. To that end, we’ll draw on the papers to investigate how to study and analyze emotions. The panel will consider: How do researchers identify and investigate emotions in various fields? What are analytic strategies to analyze various emotions and their effects? Through these distinct cases, the panel also seeks to contribute to how we theoretically frame emotions. Much of what we know about emotions and participation comes from a study of positive emotions. However, emotions on the Far Right typically operate in a different way; for example, bonds are forged through emotions that are negatively defined, such as through anger. This panel will define the range of emotions that are commonly observed and will explore the effects of emotions that are traditionally considered negative on participation and group interactions. The panel will consider strong emotions like anger and fear that are prevalent in the study of the far right as well as those that are understudied, such as regret.

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