From the Publisher
“In this brilliant book, Pam Nilan provides offers a transversal overview of key dimensions to understand Far Right appeal among young white men in the 21st century, from the gamification of hate to social media, from conspiracy theories and fantasy stories that re-enchant their world to the quest of belonging and agency.” (Geoffrey Pleyers, F.R.S.–FNRS Professor of Sociology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium)
“‘Let’s face it, mate, if we don’t do something about it right now, in 20 years we’re going to be forced to speak Arabic and under Sharia law’. The words of the homeless, white young man aged 21, who had never had a job, took me by surprise in 2017. They would not surprise me now. Nilan’s scholarly and engaging text has appraised me of the sense of ‘aggrieved entitlement’ held by the ‘lost’ white working class, youth in particular, who can become recast as the heroic defenders of a lost white utopia. Not all become active or violent participants in Far-Right movements. That is an individual choice. Nor is the internet to blame. But young people are avid users of social media, the trojan horse for promoting affiliation to right-wing extremism. Nilan shows how this is taking place in different parts of the world, how young people join and the challenges of leaving. It is an illuminating account, providing clarification and concern in equal measure.” (Prof Howard Williamson, CVO CBE FRSA FHEA, Professor of European Youth Policy, University of South Wales)
“Prof Pam Nilan has produced a beautifully crafted account of a very complex and increasingly pertinent challenge: youth and the Far-Right in the West. This is a passionate book. Guided by Nilan’s concern for youth welfare, it takes the reader on a journey of discovery and understanding. By examining the emotional appeal of Far-Right utopia, Nilan has helped explain its attraction and its limitations as some youth grow in and out of the Far-Right.” (Prof Shahram Akbarzadeh, Deakin University, Australia)
“Sketches the push and pull factors that may lead to radicalization. Importantly, Nilan distinguishes between casual ‘floaters’, who may participate in online hate and harassment, and more hard core ‘members’ who sign up for specific groups and IRL/AFK activities. This is an evocative book for understanding the relations between masculinity, class, race and youth in a global politics that continues its four-decade shift to the right, flagrantly producing evermore stark inequalities, political violence and affective precarity.” (Steven Threadgold, University of Newcastle, Australia)
“Pam Nilan’s must-read new book is an engaging account of the ‘youthfulness’ in the contemporary Far Right. The book is explicit in why it’s important to better understand the discourses that lead to hateful and violent speech and actions. She especially shows how the Far Right uses online gaming and social media to address and draw in young people, many are ‘floaters’: engaging in hate speech and trolling, but remain anonymous and online, less organised as identifiable members.” (Professor Ariadne Vromen FASSA, Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration, the Australian National University)
“In the post-Trump era, when denialism in the face of the pandemic fuels ultra-nationalism in Europe and beyond, it is urgent and necessary to understand the attraction of some young people to the (new) extreme right. Pam Nilan’s book provides virtual ethnography data and a framework for cross-national analysis.” (Carles Feixa, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain)
