This edited collection uses critical theory in order to understand the rise of the Alt-Right and the election of Donald Trump—and, in doing so, to assert the necessity and value of various disciplines within the humanities. While neoliberal mainstream culture has expressed shock at the seemingly expeditious rise of the Alt-Right movement and the outcome of the 2016 United States presidential election, a rich tradition of theory may not only explain the occurrence of this “phenomenon,” but may also chart an alternative understanding of the movement, revealing the persistence of right-wing populism throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Though the humanities have seen themselves undervalued and under attack in recent years, the historical and cultural contextualization of the current moment via theory is a means of reaffirming the value of the humanities in teaching the ever-important and multifaceted skill of critical literacy. This book re-affirms the humanities, particularly the study of literature, theory, and philosophy, through questions such as how the humanities can help us understand the here and now.

The alt-right movement in the United States has actively been endorsing the use of left theory to achieve its ends—and with varying degrees of success. Tracing occasions where figures on the alt-right reference left theory, this volume asks if the alt-right’s reference of left theory is just bad reading, or are there troubling ways that certain types of left theory encourage such interpretations? What if the connections between left theory and the alt-right lie in the shared disdain for certain types of institutions, structures of power, and the status quo? Are there lessons to be learned in what can often appear as an overlapping desire to deconstruct concepts like truth, justice, freedom, and democracy? Drawing on the longer history of right-wing readings of left theory, this volume seeks to unpack these recent developments and consider their impact on the future of theory.

Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times outlines a cadre of alt-right groups, conspiracy theories, and other forms of stigmatized knowledge threatening our society. In an era dominated by the pervasive influence of social media, the scholarly gaze has often overlooked the ways far-right factions leverage these platforms to propagate anti-democratic ideologies. From the denial of the moon landing to the enigmatic labyrinth of QAnon, and a myriad of other alt-right groups in between, this anthology presents a compelling case for the continued relevancy of the Frankfurt School of Critical Social Theory. Uncover the intricate web connecting these ideologies to everyday life, and arm yourself with the critical insights needed to navigate the turbulent currents of our modern socio-political landscape.

This book is the first edited collection to focus on the work of contemporary author Hari Kunzru. It contains major new essays on each of his novels – The Impressionist, Transmission, My Revolutions, Gods Without Men, White Tears and Red Pill – as well as his short fiction and non-fiction writings. The collection situates Kunzru’s work within current debates regarding postmodernism, postcolonialism, and post-postmodernism, and examines how Kunzru’s work is central to major thematic concerns of contemporary writing including whiteness, national identity, Britishness, cosmopolitanism, music, space, memory, art practice, trauma, Brexit, immigration, covid-19, and populist politics. The book engages with current debates regarding the politics of publishing of ethnic writers, examining how Kunzru has managed to shape a career in resistance of narrow labelling where many other writers have struggled to achieve long-term recognition.

This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to the critique of contemporary ideology, offering an innovative genealogy of one of its most fundamental discursive manoeuvres: the ideological effacement of mediation. Providing a comprehensive historical revision of media (from the Greeks to the Internet), this book identifies several critical junctures at which the tension between visibility and invisibility has overlapped with conceptions of neutrality—a tension best incarnated in today's use of the word transparency. Then, it traces this term's evolving semantic constellation through a variety of intellectual discourses, exposing it as a key operator in the revaluation of ideals, sensibilities, and modalities of perception that lie at the core of our contemporary attention-based economy.

By imparting crucial insights into the digital evolution of far-right extremism and its challenges, this book explores how far-right extremism has transformed, utilising digital spaces for communication and employing coded language to evade detection. Far-right extremism has spread extensively across online platforms. Flourishing within echo chambers, these groups propagate different types of online and offline actions and advance their hateful ideologies to a wide-ranging audience. This book highlights the issues surrounding far-right extremism, which distinguishing it from terrorism and examining its contemporary digital manifestations. Importantly, it sheds light on how far-right groups utilise online platforms for communication, radicalisation, and on-ground actions, relying on alternative truths, misinformation, conspiracy theories, fashion, and memes to connect with like-minded individuals. The book also addresses content moderation challenges and the impact of rising populism in today’s political climate, which fuels societal divisions and uncertainty. Far-Right Extremism Online is a valuable resource for academics, students, analysts, and professionals working in counter-extremism, cybersecurity, digital communication, and national security. It is also an indispensable guide for those concerned about far-right extremism in the digital age.

The second edition of The Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity offers readers a broad overview of scholarly exploration of the ways that humans have organized themselves (and have been organized) according to racial and ethnic divisions. More than 80 scholars from around the world and representing multiple academic traditions contribute entries to this accessible yet sophisticated volume that addresses contemporary issues in historical context. The first half of the book challenges readers to grapple with some of the most controversial aspects of categorization, prejudice and discrimination through focused chapters ranging from the notion of Whiteness to the supposed biological rationale for racial categorization. The second half is comprised of 70 shorter entries on specialized concepts, persons and groups that are crucial to understanding these issues. Taken as a whole, this volume provides a broad, multi-disciplinary and global overview of issues that continue to provide challenges to notions of equality and justice.

Intersectional Feminism in the Age of Transnationalism: Voices from the Margins explores the limitations of the transnationalist approach to feminism and questions the neoliberal emphasis on individual freedom and consumer choice as the central goals of feminist activism. The contributions to the volume discuss such varied topics as fiction by Edwidge Dandicat, Judith Ortiz-Cofer, and Diamela Eltit; visual art of Laura Aguilar and Maruja Mallo; films directed by Lucrecia Martel; a TV series based on a novel by María Dueñas; the art-activism of Ani Ganzala and Zinha Franco; and the philosophical thought of Gloria Anzaldúa. All chapters proceed from the belief in the continued usefulness of intersectionality as a valuable category of critical analysis that is particularly necessary at the time when the effects of neoliberal globalization are undermining many familiar categories of critical inquiry.

This book presents case studies around issues of national development, right wing populism and use of social media, left wing authoritarianism and popular uprisings as well as reflections on short and long term political and economic cycles in Latin America in the past 10 years. Scholars, government and civil society practitioners have long recognized both the democratic and development deficit in Latin American countries, as well as their potential. The path towards a consolidated democratic state and civil society, as well as socio-economic collective well-being, has been far from linear and this edited collection provides theoretical clarity on the social, political and economic dynamics driving these changes such as historical cycles in the commodities market, the emergence of new social movements, the rise and pitfalls of populism, the influence of corporate media, and the erosion of democratic institutions. The chapters in this volume approach the topic of Latin American right and Left forces by attempting to determine whether a new and potentially long-term political cycle is unfolding in the region. To this end, the chapters focus on a perspective that compares the emergence of the new Right with the successes and limitations of the previous 20 years of Pink Tide governance. This volume will be of great use to students and researchers interested in Latin American studies, comparative politics as well as political leadership. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Globalizations.