Thinking beyond extremism: a critique of counterterrorism research on right-wing nationalist and far-right social movements

Researchers increasingly use counterterrorism approaches to explain how right-wing groups mobilize as a growing social movement. I reveal the limits of security-oriented research for studying right-wing movements using a semi-ethnographic case study of the Canadian yellow vests. Dominant security na...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Tetrault, Justin Everett Cobain (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2022
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2022, Volume: 62, Issue: 2, Pages: 431-449
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Extremism
countering violent extremism
Radicalization
Terrorism
Right-wing
Far-right
Ethnography
Description
Summary:Researchers increasingly use counterterrorism approaches to explain how right-wing groups mobilize as a growing social movement. I reveal the limits of security-oriented research for studying right-wing movements using a semi-ethnographic case study of the Canadian yellow vests. Dominant security narratives paint Canada’s yellow vests as foremost a criminogenic and violent white nationalist movement. My findings, however, suggest that these groups (1) fetishize law and order; and (2) attempt to maintain legitimacy by rejecting vigilantism and policing extreme messaging. Fixating on the ‘extremism’ and criminal risks of right-wing movements can distort analysis and exaggerate their distance from mainstream culture. My data include over 40 h of participant-observation at 20 right-wing rallies and 35 interviews with current leaders and members of on-the-ground nationalist groups.
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azab062