Interdisciplinary academic work on Fascism/White Nationalism, including classical political thought

Ahmed, Saladdin. Fascism in the Middle East: Nationalism, Islamism, and Imagining Other Futures. New York: Routledge, 2025.

• AI Summary: “Saladdin Ahmed’s Fascism in the Middle East: Nationalism, Islamism, and Imagining Other Futures (Routledge, 2025) critically examines the persistence of fascist ideologies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), focusing on their manifestations in Turkish, Iranian, and Arab political landscapes. Ahmed argues that both nationalist and Islamist movements have, over decades, perpetuated exclusionary and authoritarian regimes that undermine democratic principles and human rights.”

Baldwin, Gretchen. 2019. “Constructing Identity through Commemoration: Kwibuka and the Rise of Survivor Nationalism in Post-Conflict Rwanda.” Journal of Modern African Studies 57 (3), 355-375. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022278X19000259

• AI Summary: “Baldwin examines Rwanda’s Kwibuka commemoration—an annual 100-day period dedicated to remembering the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. She explores how this ritual, while intended to promote healing, has paradoxically reinforced ethnic distinctions and fostered a form of “survivor nationalism” that may undermine long-term national unity.

Belew, Kathleen. Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. Harvard University Press. 2018.

• AI Summary: Belew’s acclaimed history uncovers how the American white power (white nationalist) movement coalesced in the 1970s–1990s by uniting disparate racist and militant groups into an organized force. She shows that the Vietnam War and its aftermath served as a catalyst: military veterans and Ku Klux Klan/neo-Nazi leaders, feeling betrayed by the government, formed a paramilitary underground bent on waging war at home. Far from “lone wolves,” Belew reveals, white supremacist terrorists like Timothy McVeigh emerged from a coordinated movement that developed strategies like “leaderless resistance” to carry out violence while evading law enforcement. This book demonstrates that episodes of racist violence (from Ruby Ridge to the Oklahoma City bombing) were part of a connected white-power insurgency – a sobering reminder that modern American white nationalism has long been organized as a domestic fascist threat.

Bond, Bayleigh Elaine, and Ryan Neville-Shepard. “The Rise of Presidential Eschatology: Conspiracy Theories, Religion, and the January 6th Insurrection.” American Behavioral Scientist 67, no. 5 (2023): 681–96.

• AI Summary: This article examines the intersection of conspiracy theories, religious beliefs, and political violence, particularly in the context of the January 6th insurrection. While not directly on authoritarian regimes, it offers insights into how belief systems can be mobilized to challenge democratic institutions and support leaders exhibiting authoritarian tendencies.

Carian, Emily K., Alex DiBranco, and Chelsea Ebin, eds. Male Supremacism in the United States: From Patriarchal Traditionalism to Misogynist Incels and the Alt-Right. Routledge. 2022.

• AI Summary: This publication traces the ideological development and rhetorical strategies of male supremacist movements in the U.S., highlighting their intersections with white nationalism and far-right extremism. It analyzes how patriarchal traditionalism and misogynist subcultures—such as incels and alt-right forums—reinforce authoritarian and fascist tendencies, often through race- and gender-based hierarchies. The authors present compelling evidence that male supremacism not only overlaps with, but actively bolsters, broader fascist and white nationalist agendas.

Césaire, Aimé. “Discourse on Colonialism.” In Postcolonialism, 310–339. New York: Routledge, 2023.

• AI Summary: Aimé Césaire’s Discourse on Colonialism delivers a scathing critique of European colonial ideology, revealing how colonialism shares structural affinities with fascism—particularly through its reliance on violence, racial hierarchy, and dehumanization. Césaire argues that the methods used in the colonies eventually seeped back into Europe, facilitating the rise of fascist regimes that mirrored colonial brutality. His work positions white nationalism not as an isolated ideology, but as part of a broader imperialist logic that underpins both colonial and fascist enterprises.

DeCook, Julia R. “Memes and Symbolic Violence: #ProudBoys and the Use of Memes for Propaganda and the Construction of Collective Identity.” Learning, Media and Technology 43, no. 4 (2018): 485–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2018.1544149.

• AI Summary: Julia R. DeCook’s study explores how the Proud Boys employ internet memes as a form of symbolic violence to promote propaganda and solidify a collective identity rooted in exclusionary, far-right ideologies. These digital artifacts often mask fascist and white nationalist themes under layers of irony and humor, making them potent tools for recruitment and ideological normalization. DeCook reveals how this memetic discourse perpetuates authoritarian masculinity and racial supremacy, aligning closely with broader fascist communication strategies.

Donovan, Joan, Emily Dreyfuss, and Brian Friedberg. Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2022.

• AI Summary: Meme Wars unpacks how far-right online communities weaponize memes to destabilize democratic norms and spread extremist ideologies—including those closely tied to white nationalism and fascist propaganda. The authors expose digital platforms as fertile ground for identity construction through humor-laced hate, conspiracism, and authoritarian signaling. This work illustrates how symbolic violence online shapes real-world political movements, often reinforcing fascist aesthetics and racialized exclusion in new, networked forms.

Eley, Geoff and Julia Adeney Thomas. Visualizing Fascism: The Twentieth-Century Rise of the Global Right. Duke University Press. 2020.

• AI Summary: This collection reconceives fascism as a transnational aesthetic phenomenon defined by its “energies” and “ideologies” rather than specific national contexts. Through twelve essays—ranging from modernist visuals in interwar China and chureito towers in Japan to settler-colonial photography in Namibia and narrative-building in Europe—it maps the global networks of capitalist and imperial entanglements that have shaped fascist visual languages.

Finchelstein, Federico. From Fascism to Populism in History. Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2017.

• AI Summary: Finchelstein, a leading historian of fascism, traces the genealogies of fascist and populist movements to clarify their relationships and differences. He argues that while fascism and populism emerge from the same historical lineage and share some anti-elite, authoritarian tendencies, they are distinct trajectories: fascism was a violent dictatorial project, whereas populism (in its many forms across Latin America, Europe, etc.) has generally operated within electoral politics and often after World War II. Through a wide-ranging comparative history, Finchelstein shows how postwar populists from Perón to Duterte borrowed elements from fascism’s playbook (nationalism, charismatic leadership, exclusionary rhetoric) without instituting outright fascist regimes. This nuanced analysis helps us understand contemporary figures sometimes labeled “fascist” or “populist,” illuminating the complex ways that fascist ideologies have been reshaped in the democratic era.

Forchtner, Bernhard, ed. The Far Right and the Environment: Politics, Discourse and Communication. New York: Routledge, 2019.

• AI Summary: This collection reveals how far-right movements increasingly engage with environmental issues, often reframing ecological concerns through nationalist, exclusionary, or authoritarian lenses. The contributors show how white nationalist ideologies sometimes co-opt environmentalism to promote ideas of ethnic purity, anti-immigration, and civilizational decline—echoing elements of eco-fascism. By analyzing political discourse and media strategies, the book traces how environmental rhetoric can serve fascist ends, cloaked in green camouflage.

Garner, Ian. Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth. London: Hurst Publishers, 2023

• AI Summary: “Ian Garner, a British historian specializing in Russian propaganda, provides a vivid, on-the-ground examination of how Vladimir Putin’s regime has mobilized Russia’s youth into embracing fascist ideology in support of the war in Ukraine. The book exposes the ways in which nationalism, militarism, and digital culture converge to shape an emerging generation radicalized by state-sponsored narratives.”

Geary, Daniel, Camilla Schofield, and Jennifer Sutton, eds. Global White Nationalism: From Apartheid to Trump. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: This edited volume provides a transnational history of white nationalist movements in the English-speaking world since the mid-20th century. The contributors reveal that recent surges in ethnonationalism and white supremacist violence – from Brexit to the Trump era – are interconnected developments rooted in a decades-long global exchange of ideas among British, American, and Anglophone settler-colony racists. Covering cases from Southern Africa, Britain, the US, Australia and beyond, the book shows how modern white nationalism emerged in reaction to decolonization, civil rights, mass immigration and other forces threatening white dominance, evolving and adapting rather than fading away.

Hall, Stuart. Selected Political Writings: The Great Moving Right Show and Other Essays. Edited by Sally Davison, David Featherstone, Michael Rustin, and Bill Schwarz. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372943.

• AI Summary: This collection of Stuart Hall’s political essays tracks the ideological shifts that gave rise to New Right politics in Britain, shedding light on how cultural narratives and media discourses contribute to the legitimation of authoritarian populism. Hall’s analysis of racial coding, national identity, and political realignment intersects with the logic underpinning white nationalism, revealing its subtle embedding within mainstream political communication. His work serves as a foundational critique of the sociocultural mechanisms that can pave the way for fascist tendencies within liberal democracies. ***Just the “Great Moving Right Show” essay is available for free here.

Hill, Samantha Rose. “Elements of Authoritarianism,” South Atlantic Quarterly 117, no. 4 (2018): 717-728. https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-7165895.

• AI Summary: This essay considers the theme of thought patterns in Adorno’s chapter “Politics and Economics in the Interview Material” in The Authoritarian Personality. Looking at the relationship between the culture industry and the successful dissemination of fascist propaganda, Hill distills the various elements of authoritarianism that Adorno identifies throughout his writing.

Hinton, Alexander Laban. It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the United States. New York: New York University Press, 2021.

• AI Summary: In this urgent and sobering account, Hinton examines how white power ideology in the U.S. intersects with global patterns of atrocity, arguing that genocidal threats are not confined to distant lands—they can manifest domestically under authoritarian conditions. He traces the historical and rhetorical evolution of white nationalist movements, highlighting their connections to fascist principles like ethnic purity, racial supremacy, and violent exclusion. The book draws upon comparative genocide studies to demonstrate how fascist frameworks can emerge in democratic societies when hate is normalized and institutions fail to respond.

Leidig, Eviane. The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization. Columbia University Press. 2023.

• AI Summary: Eviane Leidig investigates how women influencers within far-right online spaces play pivotal roles in shaping and spreading white nationalist ideologies through digital media. Her analysis reveals how gendered branding and soft rhetoric serve as strategic gateways into radical networks, blending traditional femininity with fascist worldviews. The book underscores how female actors in these spaces legitimize and normalize extremist ideologies, challenging assumptions about who radicalizes and how.

Love, Nancy S. Trendy Fascism: White Power Music and the Future of Democracy. Albany: SUNY Press. 2016.

• AI Summary: Love offers a unique study of how contemporary white nationalists have used popular music subcultures to spread hate and neo-fascist ideology. She explores “white power music” genres – from racist skinhead rock to neo-Nazi heavy metal and folk – and shows how they function as a “neo-fascist aesthetic politics”, normalizing extremist ideas among youth through culture rather than formal politics. Unlike classical 20th-century fascists, today’s white supremacists exploit modern technology and global music networks (and even style themselves as countercultural) to build a transnational community of hate. Love’s case studies of music scenes in the US and Europe illustrate how these trends have hyper-modernized fascist propaganda – using social media, concerts, and lyrics as recruitment tools – and why this subcultural shift poses a serious threat to democracy.

Malm, Andreas, and the Zetkin Collective. White Skin, Black Fuel: On the Danger of Fossil Fascism. London: Verso. 2021.

• AI Summary: This work investigates the nexus of far-right politics, climate change denial, and racism, coining the term “fossil fascism.” Malm and colleagues document how nationalist leaders in the US, Brazil, and Europe aggressively promote fossil-fuel use and dismiss climate science as a way to defend white privilege against perceived threats. The book reveals deep historical roots of this trend – fossil-fuel technologies intertwined with racism and even celebrated by classical fascists – and warns of emerging “ecofascist” ideas like closing borders under the guise of saving the environment.

Mamdani, Mahmood. “Beyond Settler and Native as Political Identities: Overcoming the Political Legacy of Colonialism.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 43, no. 4 (2001): 651–664.

• AI Summary: Mahmood Mamdani critically rethinks the entrenched political identities of “settler” and “native,” arguing that these colonial constructs perpetuate authoritarian governance and racialized hierarchies long after formal decolonization. He identifies how such binaries, rooted in imperial frameworks, echo the logics of fascist and white nationalist ideologies by naturalizing exclusion and legitimizing dominance. Mamdani calls for political systems that transcend these divisive identities, seeking pathways out of authoritarian legacies rooted in colonial violence.

Mamdani, Mahmood. Define and Rule: Native as Political Identity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012.

• AI Summary: Mahmood Mamdani critically examines how colonial powers created and imposed rigid political identities—specifically “native” and “settler”—to entrench authoritarian governance and racial hierarchy. He shows how this strategy enabled rule through division and exclusion, laying conceptual groundwork that echoes in fascist and white nationalist ideologies. By exposing how political identity was weaponized to suppress self-determination and normalize domination, Mamdani’s work reveals enduring colonial logics behind contemporary authoritarian systems

Mamdani, Mahmood. Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2018.

• AI Summary: Mahmood Mamdani’s influential work critiques how colonial governance systems bifurcated populations into “citizens” and “subjects,” embedding authoritarian rule through racialized administrative structures. He argues that this legacy persists in postcolonial Africa, often through centralized state control and exclusionary politics that resonate with elements of fascist governance and white nationalist ideologies. By exposing the continuity between colonial and contemporary political frameworks, Mamdani offers a sobering analysis of how authoritarianism can evolve within ostensibly liberated societies

Mamdani, Mahmood. When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: Mahmood Mamdani critically examines the Rwandan genocide through the lens of colonial history, revealing how colonial constructs of ethnic identity laid the groundwork for nativist and authoritarian violence. He connects the systematic exclusion and racialized governance under colonialism to the genocidal ideologies that mirror fascist strategies of racial purification and social control. The book underscores how white nationalist frameworks—rooted in colonial legacies—can be reproduced by formerly oppressed groups in pursuit of political dominance

Marasco, Robin. “There’s a Fascist in the Family: Critical Theory and Antiauthoritarianism,” South Atlantic Quarterly 117, no. 4 (2018): 707-716. https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-7165871.

• AI Summary: Robin Marasco confronts the intimate dimensions of fascist ideology by exploring how authoritarian impulses manifest within familial and generational relationships. Drawing from critical theory, she traces how the structure of the family can reflect and reproduce political authoritarianism, with patriarchal dominance serving as a microcosm of broader fascist logic. Marasco’s essay challenges readers to see white nationalism not only in overt political structures, but also in the affective economy of everyday life.

Marasco, Robin. “Reconsidering the Sexual Politics of Fascism.” Historical Materialism, 2021. https://www.historicalmaterialism.org/reconsidering-the-sexual-politics-of-fascism/.

• AI Summary: Marasco argues that sexual politics—especially the phenomenon of “female antifeminism” and affective attachments to patriarchal power—have been and remain central to fascist mobilization, as demonstrated through historical feminist analyses (Macciocchi, Dworkin) and the contemporary martyrdom of Ashli Babbitt at the US Capitol. She contends that treating sex as an instrument of “fascisation” is essential for understanding and interrupting the evolving strategies of the modern far right.

Marinos, Martin. Free to Hate: How Media Liberalization Enabled Right-Wing Populism in Post-1989 Bulgaria. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press 2023.

• AI Summary: “Martin Marinos’s Free to Hate presents a compelling analysis of how post-socialist media liberalization in Bulgaria created structural conditions conducive to the rise of right-wing populism. By showing how media commercialization, concentration, and tabloidization fostered anticommunist nationalism and empowered parties like Ataka, Marinos provides critical insights into how transformations in media institutions can shape political ideologies and electoral outcomes.”

Memmi, Albert. Decolonization and the Decolonized. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006.

• AI Summary: Albert Memmi interrogates the troubled aftermath of colonial liberation, arguing that decolonization often gives way to neocolonial dependency and authoritarian governance. He critiques how postcolonial states may adopt exclusionary nationalist ideologies and repressive tactics reminiscent of fascism, particularly when power is consolidated through racial or cultural essentialism. Memmi’s analysis implicates white nationalist frameworks as persisting specters within both colonial legacies and the internal politics of newly decolonized nations

Memmi, Albert. The Colonizer and the Colonized. New York: Routledge, 2013.

• AI Summary: Albert Memmi’s seminal work unpacks the psychological and structural dynamics of colonialism, illustrating how it dehumanizes both the colonizer and the colonized through rigid hierarchies of race and power. He draws parallels between colonial ideology and fascism, particularly in the way both rely on systemic violence, nationalist myth-making, and racial superiority to maintain control. Memmi’s analysis lays the groundwork for understanding white nationalism as a continuation of colonial logic embedded in political and cultural institutions.

Memmi, Albert, Thomas Cassirer, and G. Michael Twomey. “The Impossible Life of Frantz Fanon.” The Massachusetts Review 14, no. 1 (1973): 9–39.

• AI Summary: This collaborative essay explores the intellectual and political legacy of Frantz Fanon, framing his life as a radical challenge to colonial authority, racial hierarchy, and authoritarian nationalism. Through biographical reflection and critical analysis, the authors highlight how Fanon’s anti-colonial stance and revolutionary praxis disrupted structures that mirrored fascist and white nationalist ideologies. The piece underscores Fanon’s embodied resistance to systems of domination, situating him as a symbolic counterforce to the violent logics of empire and racial supremacy.

Miller-Idriss, Cynthia. Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: Miller-Idriss explores the everyday spaces and channels through which the far right is recruiting and indoctrinating young people in the US and beyond. From college campuses and MMA gyms to online forums and YouTube lifestyle channels, she shows how white supremacist and neo-fascist groups cultivate hate in both physical and virtual “mainstream” spaces, allowing extremist ideas to permeate youth culture. This accessible study highlights the globalization of far-right extremism – underscored by recent white supremacist attacks from New Zealand to Norway – and offers a new perspective on how notions of place, space and belonging (even “homeland” nostalgia) are leveraged to normalize white nationalist ideology.

Mondon, Aurelien, and Aaron Winter. Reactionary Democracy: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream. London: Verso, 2020.

• AI Summary: Mondon and Winter examine how racist and far-right ideas have been mainstreamed in modern liberal democracies. They introduce “reactionary democracy” to describe how political and media elites manipulate democratic rhetoric (“power to the people”) to push reactionary agendas, portraying racism and nativism as the authentic voice of the people. This process, the authors argue, has legitimized the far right and normalised white nationalist themes in public discourse – a shift enabled by ostensibly neutral elites and outlets who platform and normalize extremist ideas under the banner of free debate.

Mudde, Cas. The Far Right Today. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2019.

• AI Summary: Mudde offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of contemporary far-right politics worldwide. He traces the evolution of far-right ideology and its “fourth wave” resurgence in recent years, noting that parties and groups once at the fringe have surged in popularity and increasingly entered the political mainstream. Crucially, Mudde warns that the most alarming aspect of this trend is the normalization of far-right racism and xenophobia in mainstream discourse and politics. This concise book equips readers with definitions, historical context, and analytical tools to recognize and counter the challenges the far right – including white nationalist and neo-fascist currents – pose to liberal democracies today.

Nagy-Talavera, Nicolas M. The Green Shirts and the Others: A History of Fascism in Hungary and Rumania. Hoover Institution Press, 1970.

• AI Summary: “In The Green Shirts and the Others, Nagy‑Talavera delivers a detailed, comparative history of fascism in Hungary and Romania—detailing their ideological foundations, political evolutions, and ultimate fates. The book stands as a foundational work in understanding the transnational and national forms of fascist movements in Eastern Europe between the wars.”

Paxton, Robert O. The Anatomy of Fascism. New York: Penguin Press, 2004.

• AI Summary: Robert O. Paxton’s The Anatomy of Fascism offers a comprehensive framework for identifying the core features and stages of fascist movements, emphasizing practice over ideology. Paxton outlines how fascism mobilizes authoritarian nationalism, racial purity, and violent exclusion—elements that resonate strongly with white nationalist agendas. His analysis traces how fascist systems emerge not merely from doctrine, but through opportunistic alliances and cultural shifts, making the book essential for understanding the conditions under which such ideologies can take hold.

Pinto, Antonio Costa, and Goffredo Adinolfi, eds. Building Dictatorships Under Axis Rule: War, Military Occupation and Political Regimes. London: Routledge, 2025.

• AI Summary: “Building Dictatorships under Axis Rule provides a nuanced account of World War II–era Axis occupation regimes. Through detailed case studies spanning from Central Europe to East Asia, the volume sheds light on the institutional strategies, elite dynamics, and ideological tensions that shaped these authoritarian systems. It’s an essential resource for scholars interested in war, occupation, and the global history of fascism.”

Poe, Andrew. “Expressions of a Fascist Imaginary: Adorno’s Unsettling Cathexis.” South Atlantic Quarterly 117, no. 4 (2018): 729-739. https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-7165883

• AI Summary: This essay examines Adorno’s logic of ego “enlargement” and his analysis of prejudice in chapter 16 of The Authoritarian Personality, showing how his concept of cathexis reveals the dispersal and redirection of prejudicial energies through affective attachments. It argues that this psychoanalytic framework can be used to trace the pathways of fascist discourse and identify moments for its interruption.

Rękawek, Kacper. Foreign Fighters in Ukraine: The Brown-Red Cocktail. London: Routledge, 2023.

• AI Summary: “Kacper Rękawek’s Foreign Fighters in Ukraine: The Brown‑Red Cocktail offers a detailed, nuanced understanding of non‑jihadist foreign fighters in Ukraine—ranging from far-right activists to ideological adventurers. Combining firsthand interviews and empirical data, the study advances our insight into motivations, recruitment networks, and the long-term implications of foreign volunteerism in modern conflict zones.”

Robin, Corey. The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.

• AI Summary: Corey Robin’s work traces the philosophical and political lineage of conservatism, arguing that it is fundamentally a reaction against movements for equality and emancipation. He reveals how conservative rhetoric often aligns with authoritarian impulses—especially when defending entrenched hierarchies—and how figures across history have echoed themes common to fascist and white nationalist ideologies. By situating Donald Trump within this lineage, Robin illustrates how contemporary conservatism can serve as a vessel for exclusionary politics and the normalization of anti-democratic thought.

Shearing, Lois. Pink-Pilled: Women and the Far-Right. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2025.

• AI Summary: Lois Shearing explores the growing presence of women in far-right movements, investigating how gendered narratives are leveraged to legitimize white nationalist ideology and fascist aesthetics. The book analyzes how femininity is weaponized through digital platforms and cultural symbols to soften radical messages, making extremist politics more palatable to wider audiences. Shearing’s work challenges assumptions about women’s roles in political radicalization, exposing how patriarchal traditions and authoritarian ideologies can be perpetuated through seemingly empowering rhetoric.

Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2017.

• AI Summary: Timothy Snyder distills lessons from the collapse of democracies in the twentieth century to offer a practical guide for resisting authoritarianism in the present. He warns against the normalization of hate, the erosion of truth, and the rise of ethno-nationalist ideologies—hallmarks of fascist and white nationalist movements. Framing democratic vigilance as a civic duty, Snyder’s book acts as both historical reflection and call to action in the face of growing authoritarian currents.

Sontag, Susan. “Fascinating Fascism.” The New York Review of Books 6, no. 2 (1975). https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1975/02/06/fascinating-fascism/.

• AI Summary: Susan Sontag’s landmark essay critiques the cultural rehabilitation of Leni Riefenstahl, arguing that her postwar work—particularly The Last of the Nuba—continues to reflect fascist aesthetics and ideology. Sontag exposes how Riefenstahl’s celebration of physical perfection, submission, and heroic struggle mirrors Nazi ideals, suggesting that fascism’s allure persists through sanitized visual culture. The essay warns that white nationalist and authoritarian impulses can be masked by beauty and myth, making fascist symbolism dangerously seductive in contemporary art and media

Stanley, Jason. How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. Random House, 2018.

• AI Summary: Philosopher Jason Stanley identifies ten core tactics or “pillars” that constitute fascist politics and shows how they have been deployed in modern democracies. These include appeals to a mythic past, propaganda and anti-intellectualism, law-and-order and sexual anxiety rhetoric, and the demonization of “outsider” groups – all strategies that create a divisive “us vs. them” narrative. Stanley weaves together history, philosophy and critical race theory to illustrate how such tactics, from Hungary and India to the United States, turn racist and nationalist myths into political reality. In doing so, he illuminates how white nationalist and authoritarian ideas can gain ground in a democracy, and stresses the urgency of recognizing and resisting these methods before they erode democratic ideals.

Stanley, Jason. Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future. Atria/One Signal Publishing, 2024.

• AI Summary: Jason Stanley’s latest work confronts the authoritarian right’s systematic efforts to rewrite history, arguing that erasing collective memory is central to fascist strategy. He reveals how attacks on education, censorship of curricula, and mythologizing national identity serve to dismantle democratic institutions and normalize white nationalist ideologies. By tracing these tactics across global contexts—from the U.S. to Turkey and Russia—Stanley underscores that the battle for truth is also a battle for the future of democracy.

Sunshine, Spencer. Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism: The Origins and Afterlife of James Mason’s Siege. London: Routledge, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429200090.

• AI Summary: Spencer Sunshine’s book traces the evolution of neo-Nazi terrorism in the U.S. by examining the influence of James Mason’s Siege, a text revered by violent far-right groups like Atomwaffen Division2. Sunshine reveals how Mason’s ideology emerged from 1970s neo-Nazi factions and was later amplified by countercultural figures in the 1980s, blending fascist violence with occult aesthetics and underground publishing3. The book exposes how this fusion of esotericism and white nationalist extremism laid the groundwork for today’s neo-Nazi terrorist underground, making it essential reading for understanding the cultural and ideological roots of fascist resurgence.

Swain, Carol M. The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

• AI Summary: In this prescient work, Swain examines the rise of what she terms a “new” white nationalism in the United States around the turn of the 21st century. She finds that unlike the old Klan-style racism, this new white nationalism often comes packaged in a more intellectual and middle-class guise – via academics, writers and online activists who avoid slurs while pushing ideas of white victimhood and genetic superiority. Swain argues that forces such as demographic change (the shrinking white majority), affirmative action policies, globalization’s economic dislocations, and high-profile crimes have created a fertile environment for white nationalist sentiment among ordinary whites. Because these grievances aren’t adequately addressed in mainstream discourse, she warns, white nationalism could gain mass appeal and spark unprecedented racial conflict. The book urges open dialogue on sensitive racial issues as a way to defuse extremist narratives – making it a pioneering analysis of the challenges that white nationalist ideology poses to a multi-racial democracy.

Thomas, Julia Adeney, and Geoff Eley. Visualizing Fascism: The Twentieth-Century Rise of the Global Right. 1st ed. Durham: Duke University Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: This edited volume redefines fascism as a global and transnational phenomenon, challenging Eurocentric narratives that focus narrowly on Italy and Germany. Through visual media—photography, architecture, monuments, and film—the contributors explore how fascist aesthetics and political tropes circulated across continents, from China and Japan to South Africa and Slovakia. The book argues that fascism’s populist appeal was deeply rooted in modernity’s visual culture, mobilizing shared symbols of power, purity, and national rebirth. It also examines how antifascist art was later depoliticized and repurposed, revealing the lingering influence of fascist visuality in contemporary politics

Toscano, Alberto. Late Fascism: Race, Capitalism and the Politics of Crisis. London: Verso, 2023.

• AI Summary: Toscano explores contemporary far-right authoritarianism through the lens of historical anti-fascist theory, emphasizing fascism as an evolving process rooted in racial and colonial capitalism. He argues against simple analogies to interwar European regimes, showing how today’s “late fascism” launches panics about threats to traditional racial and gender hierarchies (from the “Great Replacement” to anti-CRT campaigns) while continually adapting to modern crises.

Traverso, Enzo. The New Faces of Fascism: Populism and the Far Right. London: Verso, 2019.

• AI Summary: Traverso examines the rise of 21st-century far-right populist movements and how they compare to classical fascism. He argues that while today’s radical right – rife with racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia – echoes the imagery of interwar fascism, it also differs in important ways. To capture this hybrid, Traverso proposes the concept of “post-fascism,” describing contemporary movements that are “neither the reproduction of old fascism nor something completely different,” but rather a mix of past and present elements. This framework helps explain phenomena like Europe’s nativist parties and Trumpism: they draw on fascist-style ultranationalism and bigotry, yet operate within (and sometimes against) liberal-democratic norms, making them a new iteration rather than a carbon copy of 1930s fascism.

van der Westhuizen, Christi. 2023. “Populism as African Fascism?: Examining the Economic Freedom Fighters in Postapartheid South Africa.” Africa Today 69 (3).

• AI Summary: “van der Westhuizen explores the rise of the EFF, a far-left political party in South Africa led by Julius Malema, and assesses whether its populist rhetoric and strategies exhibit characteristics akin to fascism. The EFF’s platform includes radical economic reforms, land expropriation without compensation, and a strong anti-establishment stance, which have garnered significant support among marginalized communities.”

Varshney, Ashutosh, and Connor Staggs. “Hindu Nationalism and the New Jim Crow.” Journal of Democracy 35 (1), 5-18. https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/hindu-nationalism-and-the-new-jim-crow/

• AI Summary: “The authors argue that, akin to the marginalization of Black Americans during the Jim Crow period, Hindu nationalism seeks to marginalize Muslim Indians based on religion. They highlight the use of exclusionary laws, segregation, and vigilante violence as methods employed in India to subdue Muslims, drawing parallels to the tactics used in the Jim Crow South. These actions, according to the authors, contravene the principles of equality established by India’s 1950 Constitution.”

Weaver, Vesla M., and Gwen Prowse. “Racial Authoritarianism in U.S. Democracy.” Science 369, no. 6508 (2020): 1176–1178. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd7669.

• AI Summary: Weaver and Prowse argue that racial authoritarianism—a system in which race-class subjugated communities experience coercive governance and diminished citizenship—is a persistent feature of U.S. democracy, not a deviation from it. Drawing on narrative accounts and empirical data, they show how policing, surveillance, and state violence disproportionately target Black and Brown communities, creating dual experiences of democracy. The authors critique political science for overlooking these realities, calling for a redefinition of democratic metrics to include localized authoritarian practices.

Whitehead, Andrew L., and Samuel L. Perry. 2020. Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States. Oxford University Press.

• AI Summary: Whitehead and Perry deliver a groundbreaking empirical analysis of Christian nationalism in the U.S., revealing how it shapes political attitudes, cultural boundaries, and visions of national identity. Drawing on national survey data and interviews, they categorize Americans into four orientations—Ambassadors, Accommodators, Resisters, and Rejecters—based on their support for intertwining Christianity with civic life. The book argues that Christian nationalism is less about religious devotion and more about preserving a hierarchical social order rooted in white supremacy, patriarchy, and authoritarianism. It exposes how this ideology influences views on immigration, race, gender, and political power, often aligning with fascist and exclusionary frameworks.

Zeskind, Leonard. Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.

• AI Summary: Leonard Zeskind delivers a sweeping and meticulously researched history of the white nationalist movement in the United States, tracing its evolution from fringe extremism to mainstream political influence. Drawing on court records, racist publications, and firsthand observations, Zeskind identifies two dominant strategic currents: mainstreamers, who seek broader acceptance through coded rhetoric, and vanguardists, who pursue radical change through militant action. The book profiles key figures like David Duke and William Pierce, and explores how white nationalism intersects with anti-immigrant sentiment, Christian Identity theology, and militia movements. Zeskind warns that these ideologies have not only endured but adapted, posing a persistent threat to democratic institutions.

Classic Political and Critical Theory Engagements with Fascism/Nazism:

Adorno, Theodor W., Else Frenkel-Brunswik, Daniel J. Levinson, and Nevitt Sanford. The Authoritarian Personality. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1950.

• AI Summary: This landmark work from the Frankfurt School investigates the psychological roots of fascism and prejudice in postwar America. Adorno and his colleagues developed the F-scale (“F” for fascist) to measure authoritarian tendencies, identifying traits like conventionalism, submission to authority, aggression toward outgroups, and rigid thinking. Drawing on psychoanalysis, sociology, and empirical research, the study argues that authoritarian personalities are shaped by punitive parenting and repression, making individuals susceptible to fascist ideologies and antisemitism.

Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1951.

• AI Summary: Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism examines the rise of totalitarian movements, tracing their roots through antisemitism, imperialism, and the collapse of traditional political structures. She analyzes the mechanisms of fascist regimes—particularly Nazism—and identifies how mass propaganda, racism, and extreme nationalism underpin their ideologies. The book remains a foundational critique of the political conditions that enable fascist systems to emerge and thrive.

Bataille, Georges. “The Psychological Structure of Fascism.” Translated by Carl R. Lovitt. New German Critique 16 (Winter 1979): 64–87.

• AI Summary: In this provocative 1933–34 essay, Georges Bataille analyzes fascism through the lens of social psychology, introducing the concepts of homogeneity and heterogeneity to explain how fascist regimes mobilize collective affect. He argues that fascism channels the heterogeneous energies of society—those irrational, sacred, and excessive forces excluded from capitalist production—into authoritarian structures that paradoxically suppress the very impulses they exploit. Bataille sees fascism not merely as a political ideology but as a symbolic and affective phenomenon, rooted in the psychological need for sovereignty, sacrifice, and spectacle.

Fromm, Erich. Escape from Freedom. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, 1941.

• AI Summary: Erich Fromm’s Escape from Freedom explores how modern individuals, overwhelmed by isolation and uncertainty, often seek refuge in authoritarian systems. He argues that fascism and white nationalism exploit psychological mechanisms—such as submission, conformity, and destructiveness—that arise when people fear the responsibilities of freedom. By analyzing the rise of Nazism and the appeal of totalitarian ideologies, Fromm reveals how democratic societies can still harbor the emotional conditions that make authoritarianism dangerously seductive.

Horkheimer, Max. “Authority and the Family.” In Critical Theory: Selected Essays, translated by Matthew J. O’Connell and others, 47–127. New York: Continuum, 1972. Originally published in 1936.

• AI Summary: In this seminal essay, Horkheimer explores how the bourgeois family functions as a microcosm of authoritarian society, shaping individuals to internalize obedience and hierarchy. He argues that the family is not merely a private institution but a political apparatus that reproduces domination through emotional bonds and patriarchal authority. Drawing on psychoanalysis and Marxism, Horkheimer shows how the father figure becomes a symbolic stand-in for state power, instilling conformity and suppressing critical thought—conditions ripe for fascist ideology.

The essay was part of the Frankfurt School’s broader project, Studies on Authority and the Family, which laid the groundwork for later analyses of the authoritarian personality and the cultural roots of fascism.

Horkheimer, Max. “The Authoritarian State.” In Critical Theory: Selected Essays, translated by Matthew J. O’Connell and others, 127–172. New York: Continuum, 1972. Originally written in 1940.

• AI Summary: In The Authoritarian State, Horkheimer analyzes the transformation of liberal capitalism into state capitalism, arguing that the modern state increasingly functions as a collective capitalist—centralizing control over production while maintaining exploitative class relations. He critiques how both capitalist and socialist institutions can become bureaucratic machines that suppress revolutionary potential, warning that mass organizations often reproduce the very domination they claim to resist. Horkheimer’s essay is a sharp indictment of how authoritarianism emerges not only from fascist regimes, but also from the internal logic of capitalist development and the failure of working-class institutions to remain emancipatory.

Lowenthal, Leo, and Norbert Guterman. Prophets of Deceit: A Study of the Techniques of the American Agitator. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1949.

• AI Summary: This foundational study dissects the rhetorical strategies of American right-wing agitators in the 1930s and 1940s, revealing how they manipulated social discontent to foster fascist and antisemitic ideologies. Lowenthal and Guterman expose how agitators weaponize fear, scapegoating, and pseudo-democratic appeals to build movements rooted in racial and cultural exclusion. The book remains a chilling blueprint for understanding how white nationalist and authoritarian discourses gain traction through emotional manipulation and symbolic violence.

Neumann, Franz L. The Democratic and the Authoritarian State: Essays in Political and Legal Theory. Glencoe, IL: Free Press, 1957.

• AI Summary: Franz Neumann’s collection of essays explores the structural tensions between democratic and authoritarian governance, emphasizing how legal and political institutions can be co-opted to serve fascist ends. He critiques the rise of centralized state power and the erosion of civil liberties, warning that authoritarianism often emerges from within liberal democracies through technocratic control and mass manipulation. Neumann’s analysis—rooted in his earlier work on National Socialism—offers a prescient framework for understanding how white nationalist ideologies exploit legal and institutional mechanisms to consolidate dominance.

Orwell, George. “What Is Fascism?” Tribune, March 24, 1944. Reprinted in The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell, edited by Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. London: Secker & Warburg, 1968.

• AI Summary: In this 1944 essay, George Orwell critiques the widespread misuse of the term “fascism,” arguing that it had become so ideologically diluted that it was often used as a mere insult. He warns that this semantic confusion obscures the real political and psychological traits of fascism—namely cruelty, authoritarianism, and anti-liberalism—which can be found across the political spectrum. Orwell’s call for clarity and restraint in labeling reflects his deeper concern that fascist tendencies can thrive when language loses its precision and moral weight.

Book Collection: Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right