Contemporary Far-Right Thinkers and the Future of Liberal Democracy (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)

This book is the first systematic analysis of the efforts of a broad range of contemporary far-right thinkers to popularize their critiques of liberal-democratic norms and institutions and make their ideas the subjects of sustained political and academic debate. The book focuses on outspoken thinkers in western and eastern Europe, Russia, the United States, Canada, and Australia. They include Alain de Benoist, Guillaume Faye, Götz Kubitschek, Pat Buchanan, Fróði Midjord, Jason Jorjani, contributors to the online magazine Quillette, and the elusive personality known as the Bronze Age Pervert. The book explores the diverse intellectual foundations of these thinkers’ positions, the similarities and differences in their ideas, and their prospects for influencing attitudes about democratic politics within their respective countries. It examines diverse movements and schools of thought, including the European New Right, Paleoconservatism, the Alt-right, Identitarianism, White nationalism, and antifeminism. Providing a much-needed global perspective, this book will be of considerable interest to students and scholars of populism, right-wing extremism, identity politics, fascism, racism, and conservatism. This book is the first systematic analysis of the efforts of a broad range of contemporary far-right thinkers to popularize their critiques of liberal-democratic norms and institutions and make their ideas the subjects of sustained political and academic Cover 1 Endorsement 2 Half Title 4 Series Information 5 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Table of Contents 10 Preface 14 Note to the Reader 17 Contributors 18 Part I Introduction 22 1 Contemporary Far-Right Thinkers in the Era of Liberal-Democratic Crisis 24 Introduction 24 The Far-Right Critique of Liberal Democracy 28 Cracks in the Far-Right Critique 32 Three Grounds for Debate 35 A Thematic Approach 38 Notes 41 Part II Foundations of Far-Right Thought 46 2 Far-Right Intellectuals and the Illiberal Discourses of Identity 48 The Real 50 Repression By Liberal Ideology 55 Illiberal Discourses of Anti-Universalism and Anti-Egalitarianism 59 Conclusion 63 Notes 63 3 Pat Buchanan, Far-Right Thinking, Ethnic Loyalty, and Liberal Democracy 66 Introduction 66 Buchanan’s Biography: A Conservative on the Path to the Far Right 68 Buchanan: A Populist, a Rightist, a Far-Right Thinker 70 Buchanan and Populism 70 Buchanan and the Right 71 Buchanan and the Far Right 74 Inequality 74 Nationalism 76 Radicalism 77 The War on the “America We Grew Up In” 78 Conclusion 82 Notes 83 4 Guillaume Faye, From New Right Intellectual to Prophet of the Racial Civil War 87 Introduction 87 The French New Right’s Brainstormer of Ideas 88 Faye: Ideologue of Ethnodifferentialism 90 Faye: Prophet of Doomsday and the Ethnic Confrontation 94 Guerre Civile Raciale: A Blueprint for Ethnic Confrontation 95 Notes 98 Part III Theory in Context 104 5 Making the Case for “Difference” 106 From the Nouvelle Droite to the Identitarians and the New Vanguardists 106 Introduction 106 The First Generation: The Founders 108 The Second Generation: The Identitarians 111 The Third Generation: The Vanguardists 116 Two Questions About Contemporary Far-Right Thought 118 Notes 121 6 Geopolitics Or Ethnopolitics? Guillaume Faye, the European Far Right, and the “Russia Problem” 124 Continentalism, Grossraum, and Eurosiberia 125 The Identitarian Turn: Civilization as Bio-Culture 129 Geopolitics Vs. Ethnopolitics 133 Conclusion: Guillaume Faye, Identity, and Liberal Democracy 137 Notes 138 7 Quillette, Classical Liberalism, and the International New Right 142 Introduction 142 Quillette and the “Intellectual Dark Web” 143 Background and Literature 143 The Intellectual Dark Web 145 Far-right Activism 146 Classical Liberalism and the International New Right 148 Classical Liberalism and Neoliberalism 148 The US, Australian, and European New Right 149 “Classical Liberalism” in Quillette 151 The Enlightenment 153 Comment on Left-Wing Intellectualism 155 The Intellectual Dark Web 157 Targeting Anti-Racism and Anti-Fascism 160 Concluding Comments 163 Notes 166 8 The Emergence of the Russian Young Conservatives 170 Trajectory of a New School of Thought 172 National Conservatism: Rehabilitating the Nation 175 Conservatism as the New Rebellion Against Liberalism 176 Russia as a “Rebel Province of the World Order” 178 Young Conservatives Versus Radical Conservatives 181 Conclusion 182 Notes 184 Part IV From Illiberalism to Extremism 188 9 The Making of Alt-History in Postcommunist Slovakia 190 Martin Lacko’s Construction of a Proud Nation 190 Introduction 190 Identity Crisis and the First Wave of Revisionism 192 The Nation’s Memory Institute—the Alma Mater of the Second Wave of Revisionism 194 Martin Lacko—a Controversial Architect of the Past 197 The Interpretation of Agency and Responsibility in Lacko’s Work as an NMI Historian 199 On the Path Toward Outright Support of the PPOS 202 A Proud Nation 203 Conclusion 204 Notes 205 10 The Conservative Revolution of the Twenty-First Century: The Curious Case of Jason Jorjani 210 Notes 222 11 Beyond America 228 The Rise of the European Alt-Right 228 Preliminary Words 228 The Rise of Identitarians 228 Identitarian Activism and White Identity 231 The European Alt-Right 231 The Scandza Forum (2017–) 233 The Network 233 Midjord the Entrepreneur: Music, Movies, and Nationalism 234 The Advance Guard 236 Tribalism Rules 236 Midjord’s Criticism of the New Right 238 Born in the USA 239 Midjord’s Wider Goal: Separation and Distancing 239 Lessons From the Rise of European WIP 241 Notes 242 Part V Into the Future 244 12 The “Groyper” Movement in the US: Challenges for the Post-Alt-Right 246 A Brief History of the Alt-Right’s Rise and Decline 247 Mainstreamers Vs. Vanguardists: The Historical Debate 250 Rebranding White Nationalism as “American Nationalism” 253 The Groyper War 254 Why Was this Successful? 257 Conclusion 258 Notes 260 13 Metapolitics, Masculinity, and Technology in the Rise of “Bronze Age Pervert” 263 Introduction 263 What Is Metapolitics? 266 Metapolitics and Männerbünde: “Brotherhoods of Conquering Men” 268 Metapolitics and (Un)truth: “How Make You Feel?” 273 Metapolitics and Religion: “To be Worshiped as a God!” 276 Technology and the Radical Right 279 Notes 280 14 Regeneration on the Right: Visions of the Future, Past and Present 285 Introduction 285 Regeneration on the Right 288 Visions of the Future, Past and Present 293 Regenerative Political Possibilities 297 Notes 298 Part VI Conclusion 302 15 The Shifting Faces of Far-Right Identity and the Future of Liberal Democracy 304 Multiple Far Rights 304 Waiting Out the Interregnum: Sowing Seeds for an Uncertain Future 308 An Enduring Threat to Liberal Democracy 313 Toward a New Liberal Future? 319 Notes 320 Bibliography 322 Index 345 Contemporary far-right thinkers in the era of liberal democratic crisis / A. James McAdams -- Far-right intellectuals and the illiberal discourses of identity / Sarah Shurts -- Pat Buchanan, far-right thinking, ethnic loyalty, and liberal democracy / Jérôme Jamin -- Guillaume Faye, from new right intellectual to prophet of the racial civil war / Jean-Yves Camus -- Making the case for "difference" : from the nouvelle droite to the identitarians and the new vanguardists / A. James McAdams -- Geopolitics or ethnopolitics? : Guillaume Faye, the European far right, and the "Russia problem" / Mark Bassin -- Quillette, classical liberalism, and the international new right / Imogen Richards and Callum Jones -- The emergence of the Russian young conservatives / Marlene Laruelle -- The making of alt-history in post-communist Slovakia : Martin Lacko's construction of a proud nation / Nina Paulovicova -- The conservative revolution of the 21st century : the curious case of Jason Jorjani / Ronald Beiner -- Beyond America : the rise of the European alt-right / José Pedro Zúquete -- The "Groyper" movement in the US : challenges for the post-alt-right / George Hawley -- Metapolitics, masculinity, and technology in the rise of "Bronze Age pervert" / Josh Vandiver -- Regeneration on the right : visions of the future, past and present / Emma Planinc -- The shifting faces of far-right identity and the future of liberal democracy / Alejandro Castrillon "This book is the first systematic analysis of the efforts of a broad range of contemporary far-right thinkers to popularize their critiques of liberal democratic norms and institutions and make their ideas the subjects of sustained political and academic debate. The book focuses on outspoken thinkers in Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, the United States, Canada, and Australia. They include Alain de Benoist, Guillaume Faye, Götz Kubitschek, Pat Buchanan, Fróði Midjord, Jason Jorjani, contributors to the online magazine Quillette, and the elusive personality known as the Bronze Age Pervert. The book explores the diverse intellectual foundations of these thinkers' positions, the similarities and differences in their ideas, and their prospects for influencing attitudes about democratic politics within their respective countries. It examines diverse movements and schools of thought, including the European New Right, Paleoconservatism, the Alt-right, Identitarianism, White nationalism, and antifeminism. Providing a much-needed global perspective, this book will be of considerable interest to students and scholars of populism, right-wing extremism, identity politics, fascism, racism, and conservatism"-- Provided by publisher