Living Right

Politics, morality and youth far-right militancy in contemporary Europe is an in-depth study of the ideas and practices that drive the varied forms of far-right activism which have become prominent in recent years, both locally and transnationally. Drawing on a long-term ethno graphic field work with Italian, Polish and Hungarian youth far-right militants, the book analyzes contemporary manifestations of fascism, shedding light on the forces that have made the “return of fascism” or “fascism of our times” a key scholarly preoccupation and public predicament. Put differently, the book demonstrates the seductive power of fascist ideas. Focusing on far-right communities, comradeships and networks that have been established across Europe, Living Right highlights that what has taken to be a paradox — that is, the contemporary far-right’s simultaneous orientation towards the local and the transnational—is actually a factor behind the recent surge in the far right. The book demonstrates that the way the far-right move ments operate affords young people an opportunity to be active and to be members of a community at different levels. While their activities are based locally, they are cast as being part of a broader transnational project with global ramifications and impact. And while they act as members of tight, bonded comradeships, they do so for the sake of broader (national, Christian, European) communities. In exploring these questions, the book foregrounds the importance of a focus on far-right morality and it problematizes the way we tend to conceive of the relationship between extremist ideas and practices and those of the broader society, showing that the boundaries between them are not as clear as is often portrayed.