Modern Fascism’s Fascination with the ‘Good Ol’ Family’ Values of an Imagined Past
Start Date
22-5-2021 11:00 AM
Event Name
Panel discussion
Panel Number
11
Panel Chair Name
Denis Provencher
Zoom URL to Join
https://ciis.zoom.us/j/99403490497
Zoom Meeting ID
994 0349 0497
Abstract
The contemporary movement of white nationalists, neo-fascists, and so-called accelerationists frequently conjures notions of an idealized masculinity, the heterosexual family, and the inherent fragility of femininity in its propaganda and outreach efforts. The discourse employed by these movements, typically summoned via powerful imagery and internet memes, relies on these gendered and sexualized themes to present the white, heterosexual, cisgendered male as protector of the family, and it is this notion of ‘families under siege’ that inspires many on the far- right into action. This study utilizes a video corpus assembled from contemporary clandestine groups including the Atomwaffen Division, Fuerkreig Division, American Identity Movement, and Patriot Front to analyze how these images are used to mobilize disaffected males towards reactionary violence. Three researchers have been reviewing, coding, and analyzing these videos for the past year and through this presentation, will share the methodologies employed and initial results of this study. Through a discursive visual and content analysis we will interrogate an emergent world view which harkens back to an idealized and falsely constructed past while seeking to inspire a dystopian future. Through exploring themes such as whiteness, family, marriage, procreation and the values enshrined, I seek to ask: Why is the imagined white family a recurrent and salient focus for these networks? Simultaneously, I explore how opponents of these networks—collectively labeled as ‘antifa’—respond to these messages through images and discourses which similarly rely on gendered expectations and archetypical constructs. As seen through movement propaganda, internet culture, and rhetoric, we will explore how these related but divergent discourses emerge, are enacted, and are resisted in action and voice.
Modern Fascism’s Fascination with the ‘Good Ol’ Family’ Values of an Imagined Past
The contemporary movement of white nationalists, neo-fascists, and so-called accelerationists frequently conjures notions of an idealized masculinity, the heterosexual family, and the inherent fragility of femininity in its propaganda and outreach efforts. The discourse employed by these movements, typically summoned via powerful imagery and internet memes, relies on these gendered and sexualized themes to present the white, heterosexual, cisgendered male as protector of the family, and it is this notion of ‘families under siege’ that inspires many on the far- right into action. This study utilizes a video corpus assembled from contemporary clandestine groups including the Atomwaffen Division, Fuerkreig Division, American Identity Movement, and Patriot Front to analyze how these images are used to mobilize disaffected males towards reactionary violence. Three researchers have been reviewing, coding, and analyzing these videos for the past year and through this presentation, will share the methodologies employed and initial results of this study. Through a discursive visual and content analysis we will interrogate an emergent world view which harkens back to an idealized and falsely constructed past while seeking to inspire a dystopian future. Through exploring themes such as whiteness, family, marriage, procreation and the values enshrined, I seek to ask: Why is the imagined white family a recurrent and salient focus for these networks? Simultaneously, I explore how opponents of these networks—collectively labeled as ‘antifa’—respond to these messages through images and discourses which similarly rely on gendered expectations and archetypical constructs. As seen through movement propaganda, internet culture, and rhetoric, we will explore how these related but divergent discourses emerge, are enacted, and are resisted in action and voice.
https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/lavlang/2021/saturday/11
