Right-Wing Pressure on Minority Civil Liberties - Sponsored by the Division of International Criminology

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

This panel focuses on the negative impact of far-right extremism for the safety, security, and more generally the civil liberties of groups singled out for control including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and immigrants. Structural and legislative conditions facilitating extremism as well as the psychological and social network foundations enabling it are examined. With increased vote share and nativist support, right-wing extremist parties promote legislation enabling elected leaders to act with impunity, ignoring the rule of law and the civil liberties of minority constituents. Examined as a motivational imbalance, right-wing extremism is discussed as a quest for significance fueled by perceived threats to identity, culture, or status. The role of misogynist ideology and extremist narratives, including conspiracy theories in fostering radicalization and violent political intentions is considered. The psychological mechanisms underpinning radicalization through narratives, and potential strategies for mitigating their impact on conspiratorial thinking are discussed. Whether changes to election systems intended to reduce partisan extremism (such as moving to rank choice voting) or the requirements imposed by multinational alliances (such as EU membership) reduce the influence of extremism in electoral outcomes and the protection of minority civil liberties is explored.

Sub Unit

• Area III. Types of Offending / 22. State Crime, Political Crime, and Terrorism

Individual Presentations

• Right-Wing Pressure on Minority Civil Liberties in the US, Canada, and Europe - Pamela Irving Jackson, Rhode Island College

• Advancing Understanding of the Emotional, Cognitive, and Attitudinal Facilitators of Extremist Misogyny - Arie Perliger, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Catherine Jarry, University of Massachusetts Lowell

• The Role of Extremist Online Narratives in Fostering Radicalization - Sophia Moskalenko, Georgia State University

• The Psychological Dynamics of Right-Wing Extremism - Arie W. Kruglanski, University of Maryland

• Re-democratizing Elections: Rank Choice Voting’s Impact on Political Culture and Governance - Emily B. Campbell, Rhode Island College

Organized by a Division or external group?

January sponsored by the Division of International Criminology