Right Wing Extremism in Contemporary Europe

The proposed seminar series seeks to enhance our understanding of contemporary right wing extremism in Europe from historical, social, cultural and political perspectives. The need for such enhanced knowledge arises from the recent electoral success of extreme right wing parties both in the 2009 European parliamentary elections (in which extreme right wing political parties won over 10% of the vote in the Netherlands, Austria and Bulgaria and almost 10% in Belgium and Romania) and in national parliaments (Golden Dawn took 7% of the vote in Greece in June 2012 but stand at double that in current public opinion polls, the True Finns took 19% in Finland, 2011). It is also necessitated by growing public and policy awareness of the extreme right, which has been heightened, in addition, by recent incidents of extreme right wing terrorism (Norway and Germany) and the growing visibility of grassroots activism (for example, the English Defence League (EDL), Casa Pound etc). Many of these movements increasingly have a transnational dimension.

The proposed research seminar series starts from the premise that these political trends are in ascendance in some parts of Europe but not necessarily 'new'. It rejects any convenient ascription of the growing visibility and electoral presence of such political parties and movements to the resurgence of nationalism associated with the post-1989 reconfiguration of Europe or any simple argument for historical continuity in political culture.These movements sometimes draw on past legacies of fascist or Nazi parties but there is also evidence of new populist tropes among which Islamophobia and the defence of 'indigenous' rights are prominent. These starting premises signal a distinctive cross-discipinary stance, emerging out of the interweaving of approaches and methodologies from History and the Social Sciences, as well as a desire to avoid the temptation to contribute to a cycle of 'moral panic' or precipitous policy reaction to the phenomenon. The primary academic objective of the seminar series is envisaged, rather, as to provide an honest and critical understanding of the potential of extreme right movements to capture the political imagination of people across Europe and the shifting modalities of how they may do this.

The seminar series aims to forge dialogue and extend connections between the academic research community and non-academic users of research on extreme right movements. The series will draw non-academic participants from national and local government, independent think tanks, police, security services, the prison and probation services and a range of national and European NGOs. A key question here relates to defining the issue at stake for academic, policy and practitioner communities by asking whether governments should be concerned only with groups perceived to pose a threat of terror, or whether legally constituted parties are also a legitimate object of attention. The seminar will address directly the question of the potential use of academic research in such policy debates and practical responses.

The proposed series consists of six thematically focused one-day seminars exploring: classic explanations of the rise of extreme right movements (political disengagement, social inequality and the impact of economic recession, the backlash to 'multiculturalism' and fears arising from discourses of Islamic terrorism); the role of popular culture in signifying extreme right affectivity; youth receptivity to extreme right ideologies and movements; methodological and ethical issues arising from researching the extreme right; and the experience of and prospects for academic collaboration with policy-makers and practitioners.

There are a wide range of non-academic beneficiaries of this Seminar Series. These include policy makers from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the Home Office and local councils as well as more specifically linked bodies such as the National Domestic Extremism Unit, the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and the European Policy Planners' Network on Countering Radicalisation and Polarisation (PPN). Contacts in these bodies (as listed in the Case for Support) will be drawn on and consulted as to the most appropriate people to invite to each seminar. Given the pressing social concern around the high visibility of right wing extremism, think-tanks are an important resource in developing links between research and policy makers. Key contacts (see Case for Support) will be drawn on and developed. In addition, practitioners from the Probabation and Prison services as well as youth workers and community/social cohesion practitioners will have significant interest in the seminar series. Finally there are a range of national and international NGOs active in the field of anti-racism and anti-xenophobia that can both contribute to and benefit from the seminar series (see Case for Support).

The relevance of the research to these groups lies in the ability of the seminar series to provide new insight into the nature of the contemporary extreme right wing in Europe that can assist them in responding to it. Historical and cross-European perspectives are particularly helpful in determining what is, and is not, 'new' about contemporary phenomena and highlighting the relative merits and failings of past or current responses to right wing extremism (for example, the relative merits of prohibition or tolerance of groups that are considered socially negative but not presenting any immediate threat to social order). The research forefronted in this seminar series will also include studies of grassroots activism (including through ethnographic methods); such research will be of particular use to law enforcement and probation agencies as well as practitioners such as those working in youth and community services or for non-governmental organisations such as 'Exit'. The international character of the seminar series will also facilitate 'early warning' of the potential for the transnational spread of local or national movements (as has been the case with the English Defence League, Golden Dawn etc). Finally many non-academic users conduct their own research in the field (e.g. Demos, Hope not Hate, Show Racism the Red Card) or commission such research. This offers the potential for open exchange and discussion of theoretical and methdological issues of mutual benefit.

A number of the non-academic users listed in the Case for Support have been consulted in the design phase of the proposal (see Pathways to Impact document) and, if successful, will be consulted further to ensure that the most appropriate individuals are invited to seminars and are integrated into each seminar as speakers and participants rather than confined to the dedicated 'Policy and Practice' seminar at the end of the series.

High levels of public and scholarly engagement with the core themes and foci of the seminar series will be sustained through the establishment of a range of 'user groups' as detailed in the 'Academic Beneficiaries' section. Since it is a stated objective of the series to engender greater synergy between academics, think tanks and government, it follows that these user groups will be populated with both academic and non-academic users.

It is proposed to collaborate with policy and practitioner participants to develop a policy paper or briefing that summarizes the key debates of the series formulated in a way that is useful to policy makers. The seminar series aims, in this way, to inform government strategy or, at the very least, to bring to the attention of policy makers and practitioners, a diversity of research