Democracy on the Move: Social Movements and Right-Wing Trends WSE-PO-KJA

Can democracy accommodate the far right? Until the 1990s, far-right parties enjoyed electoral success in a few European countries and faced marginalization from other political forces. Similarly, far-right street mobilization primarily consisted of small, politically insignificant groups or individuals. Today the far right seems to have moved into the mainstream and it is a global phenomenon. Recent elections worldwide have seen a surge in support for political parties advocating nativism, skepticism towards political representation, and the erosion of political pluralism. These parties sometimes form alliances with other political groups, exerting significant influence in public debates. This course introduces students to the study of continuities and changes in far-right politics to understand if and how the mainstreaming of the far right occurs. The course will focus on far -right mobilization in a comparative perspective with a primary (but not exclusive) focus on Europe and the US, where the far right seems to have moved into the mainstream, notably by entering in government, contesting democratic elections, and altering the independence of various political institutions.