Banal Radicalism: Free Spaces and the Routinization of Radical Practices in Far-Right Movements

• In Event: Countermovements and Extremism

Abstract

Studies of far-right movements have highlighted the role of “free spaces” in radicalizing their members. In these spaces, movement participants can flaunt and imbue their radical ideas into otherwise mundane practices, formulating them into comprehensive and resilient worldviews. However, the relationship between practices and political ideals in free spaces are often varied and complex. In this paper, I draw on a four-year ethnographic study of a radical right-wing libertarian movement to show that, while free spaces create conditions to imbue some everyday practices with radical political significance, they also create conditions for a more banal form of radicalism whereby activists reproduce radical practices while toning down explicit expressions of the group’s radical ideology. This allows activists to sidestep ideological disagreements and adjust practices to the demands of everyday life. As I argue, rather than a product of the practice itself, political meaning is born out of the situational challenges activists encounter when trying to coordinate action. The interplay between banal and explicit radicalism allows activists to coordinate action smoothly over time and to create sustainable radical spaces.

Author

• Oded Marom, University of Southern California