Literature
Please refer to the syllabus under the heading "Information".
Official Course Description
In the last years, scholars have started to speak of a new wave of right-wing extremism, characterised by the emergence of an underground subculture of racist and frequently violent young extremists, with their own symbols, myths, and language. This new wave is characterized by its internationalization and native to the digital environment.
While this wave of extreme right mobilisation has had relatively limited consequences in terms of ‘body count’, its danger stems from its capacity to encourage growth of xenophobic tendencies in public opinion, effectively conducting a whitewashing or “mainstreaming” of violence towards their chosen enemies.
Current counter-terrorism efforts at the European Union level have sought to address right-wing extremism as an important policy goal, with European Member States coming together to fight extreme right violence within the bounds of existing EU legislation.
Moreover, the last decade has seen a world-wide increase in the relevance of preventive counter-terrorism measures, aiming to stop people before they engage in violence: Prevention and Countering of Radicalization to Violent Extremism (PCVE). These initiatives aim at preventing radicalization or promoting disengagement, via the development of individual and community level skills, such as self-esteem, critical thinking and inter-personal communication. However, the efficacy of such initiatives may still miss one of the most important developments of the extreme right nowadays: the solidification of a mainstream extremist culture online.
This Online Radicalization and Violent Right Wing Extremism course will cover, first, the latest theories regarding radicalization to right wing extremism and online dynamics for these groups, as well as their interactions and overlaps with conspiracy theoristsRight Wing Extremism and Online Radicalization: Causes, Consequences and Counter-measures
and other fringe groups. Second, we will chart the state of right-wing violence in Europe, using case studies of specific instances of right wing extremist violence online and offline. Third and finally, the course will outline the counter-measures currently adopted by some EU countries, focusing on the PCVE and the European Terrorist Content Removal Order.
The design of this course takes a multi-disciplinary and European-centered approach to the study of right-wing political violence. The assigned readings include scholarly research, journalistic investigations and counter-terrorism provisions.
- Lehrende: Inès Bolaños Somoano