‘Both roads lead to Rome’: Pathways towards commitment in a far-right organization

• In Event: 3451 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 5. Far-Right Movements

Abstract

How is proximity to a high-risk/cost organization translated into commitment? Put simply, there are two main models within the literature that point to discordant pictures. In the first model, commitment stems from a cognitive affinity that is then reinforced by ties to the organization (McAdam, 1986; McAdam and Paulsen, 1993). In the second model, commitment stems from a relational affinity with members that leads to developing a salient political identity (Munson, 2008; Stark and Bainbridge, 1980). This paper argues that both models are possible, but that they are ‘complex translations’. The models point to distinct pathways, by which the same set of items are combined in different sequences. In the first pathway, an ideological proximity is translated into commitment when people develop an emotional attachment to the relationships they form within the organization. Individuals commit because they gain a strong sense of belonging ‘to the right’ community (Kanter, 1968, 1972). In the second pathway, a relational proximity is translated into commitment once people develop an emotional attachment to beliefs held by the organization. Members gain here a strong sense of meaning and purpose (Kanter, 1968, 1972).

My conclusions are based on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with 24 distinct members of CasaPound Italia, an Italian far-right organization. This article begins by discussing the concept of political commitment. By narrowing the necessary conditions that lead to high-risk/cost activism, I then point to the hidden unity between the main models in the literature that map onto two distinct pathways: belonging and politicization. I show that despite having distinct sequences, cognitive, relational, and emotional dimensions need all be present in both cases to translate proximity into commitment. I further aim to show that to become committed in high-risk/cost organizations, some people need to develop a strong feeling of belonging to a particular political community; while others need to develop a politicized identity.

Author

• Sebastien Parker, University of Toronto