Far-Right Social Movements – Origins, Dynamics and Impacts

Abstract

In recent years, far-right social movements have gained significant traction across the globe, reshaping political landscapes, redefining social dynamics, and influencing public discourse. From the MAGA movement in the US, over Hungarian movement organisations staging (mainstream) events and 'active clubs' to young right-wing men policing women’s clothing and appearance in Poland: These and other movements are characterised by a complex interplay of ideologies, often rooted in nationalism, xenophobia, strict gender-norms and a rejection of liberalism and pluralism. As they proliferate, understanding the underlying mechanisms driving their rise and persistence becomes increasingly vital for scholars and practitioners alike. This panel aims to analyse mechanisms, ideologies, and consequences of these movements, contributing to a better understanding of their role in contemporary politics. The contributions explore how far-right movements mobilise support, leverage digital spaces, and navigate various cultural and political contexts. Additionally, an examination of the relationships between these movements and formal political parties, as well as the emergence of counter-movements, offers critical insights into the dynamics of modern democratic engagement. This panel addresses a broad spectrum of questions related to far-right social movements, including: • The role of social media and digital platforms in the mobilization and dissemination of far-right ideologies. • An analysis of transnational networks among far-right groups and their implications for global politics. • The relationship between far-right movements and traditional political parties, including collaborations, co-optation, and electoral strategies, as well as movement-parties and their development • The dynamics of counter-movements and their effectiveness in challenging far-right ideologies and practices. • Case studies of specific far-right movements in different countries, focusing on their unique characteristics, strategies, and outcomes, panels with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe, as well as contexts outside the US and Europe are particularly welcome

Title	Details
Explaining Strategic Adaptation of the Far Right in Poland. Political Opportunity Structures, Networks, and Narratives.	View Paper Details
Party-Movement-Interaction on the Far-Right from the Perspective of Movement Elites and Supporters: Leveraging Digital Communication Data to Quantify Campaign Activity and Observe Intra-Movement Deliberation	View Paper Details
Unlikely Defenders of Democracy? Environmental Organisations’ Democratic Activism in the Context of Far-Right Successes	View Paper Details
Fertile Ground, but for How Long? The Volatile Role of Protest for Populist Challenger Party Success	View Paper Details
Defying the Mainstream. The Platform Telegram as a Digital Abeyance Structure for the German Far Right	View Paper Details