The far right on both sides of the Atlantic: circulation, influence and networks in the 21st century
The recent elections in September 2024 at the German Länder corresponding to the former territory of the German Democratic Republic (Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia), marked an inflexion point. Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) became the main opposition in the first two states, and won the polls in the third. This is unprecedented because it is the first time a German far-right party obtained such a score since the Second World War. What happened in Germany is but the latest event in a long series and demonstrates the undeniable reality of the far-right’s in elections throughout European democracies in the 21st century. On the other side of the Atlantic, the same phenomenon can be seen in Javier Milei’s coming to power in Argentina in 2023 and Donald Trump’s chances of victory in the American presidential elections in November 2024.
In recent years, a political option, which once seemed marginal, has emerged into a force capable of obtaining power. This has already happened in several countries, including Italy, Poland, Hungary, the United States, Brazil, and Argentina ; while it has positioned itself as the main opposition with clear chances of success, as seen in France in the latest legislative elections (2024) and in Chile, where it has influenced the drafting of a new constitution. Moreover, even countries that once seemed impenetrable to far-right parties are now seeing a rise of their popularity, for example in Portugal and Spain. This brief overview does not ignore the fact that, in each territory, the rise of the far-right in recent years has differed in terms of timing, pace and methods used, and results achieved.
We are witnessing a multifaceted phenomenon with great capacity for adaptation which has become an accelerating factor in the unstable geopolitical context and successive crises of the first decades of the 21st century, due to increased uncertainty and fear. It is true that the way this phenomenon has unfolded differs from one country to another ; however, these differences should not make us forget the similarities in these parties’ political agendas, nor their solid capacity to establish connections, despite significant differences, particularly in matters of foreign policy.
The next issue of Amnis wants to analyze the process with which the far-right parties have rebuilt and strengthened their position in European and American societies. It will focus notably on the constitution of networks, circulation of different resources, practices, methods and ideas, and, their impact on other organizations, movements, national and supranational entities, and on society as a whole. To this end, it invites specialists in the field to propose articles on the following themes :
- Strategies for building and strengthening far-right networks at the international level, whether continental or intercontinental;
- Methods for circulating resources, praxis, methods, and ideas among far-right parties, movements and/or groups in the 21st century, including through tracing their origins to the final decades of the last century ;
- Transformation of these ideas and strategies to other geographical contexts ;
- Usefulness of external support in the rise of far-right groups and movements at the national and international level and the way it has conditioned their subsequent evolution. Papers can focus on one territory or offer comparative perspectives.
- Consequences of electoral wins or losses of far-right movements in one location on the inspiration, development and/or redefinition of new strategies in other locations ;
- Permeation of far-right ideas on other political parties, social movements, national or international organizations and on society as a whole.
Please send a brief presentation of your paper (300-400 words) in French, English or Spanish to the following email address, along with a resumé, before December 20th 2024 to: severiano.rojohernandez@univ-amu.fr
Selected articles must be submitted on or before June 15th 2025. Following peer-review, these articles will be published on the journal's website (http :/amnis.revues.org) in October 2024.