Living Right: Far Right Youth Activists in Contemporary Europe

May 11, 2025

Dr. Agnieszka Pasieka, a sociocultural anthropologist at the University of Montreal, dives into the world of far-right youth activists across Europe. She explores how these activists, from varied backgrounds, find community and purpose in radical nationalism. The discussion unveils their deep emotional intelligence and the complexities of engaging with such ideologies. Dr. Pasieka shares her harrowing fieldwork experiences and emphasizes the need for dialogue, understanding, and empathy in confronting these challenging narratives.

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INSIGHT

Complex Far-Right Movements

Far-right youth movements in Italy, Poland, and Hungary combine nationalism with socialist elements.
They focus on community building, education, and grassroots activism rather than formal political party structures.

INSIGHT

Rejection of the Fascism Label

Far-right activists often reject labels like 'fascist' to avoid alignment with historical fascism.
Instead, they emphasize building a new political agenda inspired by but distinct from past fascist movements.

ANECDOTE

Challenging Participants' Beliefs

Agnieszka challenged a far-right participant quoting a problematic figure but was met with firm resistance.
This experience shifted her research style towards open, conversational engagement rather than confrontation.

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What is the growing appeal of fascist idealism for young people? Why is radical nationalism on the rise in Europe and throughout the world? In Living Right: Far Right Youth Activists in Contemporary Europe (Princeton UP, 2024), Dr. Agnieszka Pasieka provides an in-depth account of the ideas and practices that are driving the varied forms of far-right activism by young people from all walks of life, revealing how these social movements offer the promise of comradery, purpose, and a moral calling to self-sacrifice, and demonstrating how far-right ideas are understood and lived in ways that speak to a variety of experiences. Dr. Agnieszka Pasieka draws on her own sometimes harrowing fieldwork among Italian, Polish, and Hungarian militant youths, painting unforgettable portraits of students, laborers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and activists from well-off middle class backgrounds who have all found a nurturing home in the far right. With a focus on far-right morality that challenges commonly held ideas about the right, Dr. Pasieka describes how far-right movements afford opportunities to the young to be active members of tightly bonded comradeships while sharing in a broader project with global ramifications.

In this episode we consider: the power of listening, locating and unpacking complexities, navigating field work, and handling difficult situations.

Our guest is: Dr. Agnieszka Pasieka, who is a sociocultural anthropologist. Before joining the University of Montreal, she was a senior research fellow at the University of Vienna and held guest lecturer and guest professor positions at various universities: Central European University, University of Bayreuth, Dartmouth College, and Yale University. She is the author of Living right: far-right youth activists in contemporary Europe, published by Princeton University Press in 2024.

Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, who works as a developmental editor for scholars, and is the producer of the Academic Life podcast.

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