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oa ‘Fascism… but with an open mind.’ Reflections on the Contemporary Far Right in (Western) Europe
First Lecture on Fascism – Amsterdam – 25 April 2013
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: Fascism, Volume 2, Issue 1, jan. 2013, p. 1 - 17
- Vorig Artikel
- Inhoudsopgave
- Volgend Artikel
Samenvatting
The political science community would have us believe that since the 1980s something entirely detached from historical or neo-fascism has emerged in (Western) Europe - a populist radicalization of mainstream concerns - a novel form of ‘radical right-wing populism.’ Yet the concept of ‘radical right-wing populism’ is deeply problematic because it suggests that (Western) Europe’s contemporary far right has become essentially different from forms of right-wing extremism that preceded it, and from forms of right-wing extremism that continue to exist alongside it. Such an approach, as this First Lecture on Fascism argues, fails to appreciate the critical role that neo-fascism has played, and still plays, in adapting Europe’s contemporary far right to the norms and realities of multi-ethnic, liberal-democratic society. Political scientists should fixate less on novelty and the quest for neat typologies, and instead engage far more seriously with (neo) fascism studies.