The Rage of Replacement: Far Right Politics and Demographic Fear

by Michael Feola

Tracing how the “Great Replacement” narrative has shaped far-right extremism and propelled its dangerous political projects and acts of violence The “Great Replacement” narrative, which imagines that historic white majorities are being intentionally replaced through immigration policies crafted by global elites, has effectively mobilized racist, nationalist, and nativist movements in the United States and Europe. The Rage of Replacement tracks how this narrative has shaped the politics and worldview of the far right, binding its various camps into a community of rage obsessed with nostalgia for a white-supremacist past.

Showing how the replacement narrative has found significant purchase in recent mainstream discourse through the rise of Trumpism, right-wing media figures like Tucker Carlson, and events such as 2017’s “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Michael Feola diagnoses the dangers this racist theory poses as it shapes the far-right imagination, expands through civil society, and deforms political culture. In particular, he tracks how the replacement narrative has given rise to malignant political strategies designed to “take back” the nation from its perceived enemies—by force if deemed necessary.

Identifying the Great Replacement narrative as a central force behind the rise and expansion of far-right extremism, Feola shows how it has motivated a variety of dangerous political projects in pursuit of illiberal, antidemocratic futures. From calls for the creation of segregated white ethnostates to extremist violence such as the mass shootings in Christchurch, El Paso, and Buffalo, The Rage of Replacement makes clear that replacement theory poses a dire threat to democracy and safety.

Genres: Politics

232 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2024

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've witnessed the mainstream spread of far right politics in the US and beyond, I've found myself drawn to books that help illuminate different aspects of this political trend towards extremism. I find that the notion of knowledge as power helps me shore up against this very frightening unknown. The Rage of Replacement analyzes common political ideologies of various far right groups to trace the broader philosophies that unite their disparate factions. The book identifies the white supremacist "Great Replacement" theory as a common through-line. The so-called Great Replacement theory undergirded the chants of "you (or Jews) will not replace us" in the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, recast non-white immigrants and asylum seekers to the US as "migrant caravans" and "hordes", and motivated multiple white supremacist mass shootings in recent years.

By focusing on the Great Replacement conspiracy as a political theory throughout the far right, Feola identifies an undercurrent which fuels the emotional intensity of reactionary far-right politics. The book's argument develops a typography of replacement fears by dedicating each chapter to a major element, including melancholia, crisis, rhetoric, ethnostate, and reproduction. I found the final chapter on the biopolitics of the conservative imperative to control reproduction particularly compelling in the context of the removal of abortion protections in the US and the rise of tradwife influencers.

Because this book focuses on an overarching politics of the far right, it is more theoretically oriented instead of offering detailed readings of a specific conspiracy or group. This focus is not a shortcoming; it is simply a type of academic writing that I struggle with a little bit more as a reader. I simply work best with close readings. Even though this book operates at a higher level, the text is still accessible to people outside academia and compelling to this current political and historical moment.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Abby Pugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was dense af but still interesting. plus some lady saw me reading it on the plane and said it was propaganda, so that’s a win

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press in exchange for an honest review.

I was disappointed by this book. The writing is dense, excessively verbose and often hard to follow. You know that feeling where you read a page but no information actually goes in? That was the feeling I had, I would reach the end of a chapter and not really know what I had just read. I have a degree in politics, so if I can't slog through the book, what hope does the average reader have?

For example, here is a sentence from the first chapter:

"What is presented as a story of decline doubles as a narrative framework through which the far right subject is formed around the pathos of loss, now rendered in distinctly politicized terms— as the conscious endeavor of other groups within a zero- sum calculus of social benefit."

I'm sorry, but what? After rereading it multiple times, I can just about figure out what it means but it takes far more effort than it is worth. Unfortunately, most of the book is written in this style, so jammed full of jargon that it is practically indecipherable for anyone who doesn't have an academic degree.

I also struggled to figure out what the point of the book was. Who is it for? What is it trying to say? The author obviously thinks the great replacement beliefs are bad but the book doesn't offer any insight on the subject. I didn't learn anything or gain a new perspective, nor did it feel like the author was trying to convince me of anything. A lot of the time I reading, I was wondering, where is this going?

[Sandrine Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book feels eerily timely, which is both a blessing and a curse, in my opinion.

On the one hand, as elections loom in many countries (France just had snap congressional elections in early July, while the US is gearing up for the next round of presidential madness this November), this information about far right movements and how they are bleeding through to the "traditional" right needs to be widely publicized.

On the other hand, because the situation is so volatile, it seems difficult to capture it in any kind of definitive way, especially in writing that is not meant for a periodical. The book makes many (very logical) references to the Charlottesville incidents of 2017, but seven years later, that almost seems like a blip on the radar in light of all that has developed since.

The book is dense with research and connections between American and European far right movements. The writing can be a little opaque at times, but the gist remains quite clear. I would love to read more off-the-cuff, shorter pieces from Feola in magazines or online.

Thanks to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is out of my normal reads. Glad I got an ARC copy of it. Well written.

[Jason Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depressing

A depressing and frightening look at the ideology animating the people that the USA just elected to run the country.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.75

I'm not quite sure who the target audience is for The Rage of Replacement. As someone who knows a bit more than the general reader, I had a hard time with the dense writing to the point of rereading sections. Overall, I was very disappointed with this one.