The International Alt-Right

Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right

by Patrick Hermansson

The alt-right has been the most important new far-right grouping to appear in decades. Written by researchers from the anti-racist advocacy group HOPE not hate, this book provides a thorough, ground-breaking, and accessible overview of this dangerous new phenomenon. It explains where the alt-right came from, its history so far, what it believes, how it organises and operates, and its future trajectory.

The alt-right is a genuinely transnational movement and this book is unique in offering a truly international perspective, outlining the influence of European ideas and movements as well as the alt-right's development in, and attitude towards, countries as diverse as Japan, India, and Russia. It examines the ideological tributaries that coagulated to form the alt-right, such as white supremacy, the neo-reactionary blogosphere, the European New Right, the anti-feminist manosphere, the libertarian movement, and digital hate culture exemplified by offensive memes and trolling. The authors explore the alt-right's views on gender, sexuality and masculinity, antisemitism and the Holocaust, race and IQ, globalisation and culture as well as its use of violence. The alt-right is a thoroughly modern far-right movement that uses cutting edge technology and this book reveals how they use cryptocurrencies, encryption, hacking, "meme warfare", social media, and the dark web.

This will be essential reading for scholars and activists alike with an interest in race relations, fascism, extremism, and social movements.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Far Right

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Okan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uluslararasi alternatif sag hakkinda bilmek istediginiz ama sormaktan cekindiginiz her sey... Her ne kadar yeterli sayida dogrudan referans verilmis olsa da okuyucunun internet sagi jargonuna (Ingilizce) cok yabanci olmamasi gerekiyor.

[Teoman TURKOGLU · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Tarihsel Arka Plan
• Alternatif sağın kökenleri, 20. yüzyılın ortalarına kadar uzanıyor. Özellikle faşist hareketler ve aşırı sağ ideolojilerin Avrupa’daki yükselişi, bu ideolojik altyapının temelini oluşturuyor.
• 1980’ler ve 1990’larda Avrupa’da göçmen karşıtlığı, ulusal kimliğin korunması ve “Batı değerlerinin” savunulması gibi temalar üzerinden güç kazanan hareketler, alternatif sağın ilk kıvılcımlarını yaktı.

2. İdeolojik Bileşenler
• Etnik Milliyetçilik: Alternatif sağın merkezinde, beyaz üstünlüğü ve ulusal kimliğin korunması fikri var. Avrupa kökenli beyazların üstünlüğü savunulurken, göçmenler ve azınlıklar kültürel tehdit olarak görülüyor.
• Kültürel Koruma: Avrupa’nın geleneksel değerlerinin küreselleşme ve çokkültürlülük tarafından tehdit edildiği düşünülüyor. Bu yüzden, “kültürel saflığın” korunması gerektiği vurgulanıyor.
• Göç Karşıtlığı: Özellikle Müslüman ve Afrika kökenli göçmenler, Avrupa’nın toplumsal yapısını bozmakla suçlanıyor. Alternatif sağ ideolojisi, bu grupların entegrasyonunu reddediyor.

3. Stratejik Yönelimler
• Metapolitik Strateji: Alternatif sağ, siyasi güç kazanmak için doğrudan çatışmalardan ziyade kültürel alanda etki yaratmayı hedefliyor. Medya, sosyal ağlar ve entelektüel platformlar üzerinden ideolojik yayılım sağlanıyor.
• Norm Değiştirme: Geleneksel sağ söylemin dışında, liberal demokrasinin eleştirisiyle radikal bir söylem geliştiriliyor. Demokrasi kavramının yeniden tanımlanması gerektiği savunuluyor.

[Sami Eerola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most complete book on the Alt-right that there is. Of course this is partly because of previous studies made by other researches. But the quantity of details and references is staggering.

The amount of details is partly because the authors are from a anti-fascist organization that uses first hand intelligence work, but still this book is written with academic rigour and well argued. But still the writing style is east to understand and the chapters are short and well segmented.

The only problem that i can find in this book is the writers need to debunk every myth that the Alt-right believes. Almost like they fear that the reader will absorb far-right propaganda and will like it.

[Horza]

An overview of the subculture with a focus on the intellectual history of the American alt-right and the European new right, covering luminaries like Jared Taylor and Alan de Benoist all the way down to the likes of Timothy Gionet. It maps those aspects well, with good explanations of the ideologies and strategies that separate the subculture from predecessors but as such doesn't really deal with the wider far right ecosystem. The focus on the individuals and early movers and shakers in the alt right and MRA movements leads to an odd conclusion where the disastrous Charlottesville backlash and deplatforming of leading figures deals a huge blow to the organisations and individuals studied amidst the wider success and mainstreaming of their rhetoric and strategies.

[Roel Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A multi-faceted piece on the origins, ideology and activities of the international alt-right. The book is not for everyone as the authors maintain a very academic tone. Especially the chapters on memefication and the links with libertarianism are very compelling and deserved the proper attention. On the other hand, the final chapter regarding Indian mysticism and the alt-right seemed very, very niche. Finally, there is a lot of repetition as each chapter reads like a scientific publication that exist independent from each other: e.g. the amount of times modern thinkers De Benoist and Faye are introduced is simply unacceptable. Nevertheless a great read for those who want to grasp the phenomenon of the alt-right.

[Sertan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Son derece iyi bi’ kitap. Konu başlıkları ve yazarların konuları ele alış biçimleri çok kafa açıcı.