- Oscar Palma, Universidad del Rosario: Cast in the same mold? A comparison between right-wing extremists in South America and Europe
- Luna Rovolon, Macerata University: A comparative feminist analysis of the neoliberal state in Italy and Norway: Exploring the Breivik and Traini cases and the pathologization of masculine criminal minds
Jason Rozumalski, University of Oslo: Conservative Hedonics: The politics of disposition, extremism, and the pleasures of today
Abstracts
Cast in the same mold? A comparison between right-wing extremists in South America and Europe
Oscar Palma, Universidad del Rosario
Literature on right wing extremism is flooding the study of global terrorism. An increase in violent events in the United States and Europe, especially during the last decade, has strengthened an interest in the analysis of this type of terrorism. Such study is based on a notion of an ‘extreme right’ as experienced by western-liberal democracies in the developed world, with global reach. However, such notion does not fully explain realities in other regions, particularly in South America. Based on the idea that an understanding of ‘the extremes’is a context-dependent and subjective construct based on each society’s characteristics, evolving through time, this paper compares notions of extremism in western democracies and South America to explore similarities and differences. It explains that even though there is a common doctrinal background, it is more difficult to define what right-wing extremism in Latin America is, and the agendas that fuel extremists on both sides differ. Extremist agendas in the ‘global north’ are fueled by white supremacy, neonazism, anti-immigration, islamophobia, and antisemitism. Many of these have no impact on South America, given social and political configurations. The platform is based on a renewed vision, reminiscent of the Cold War, of socialism or Marxism-Leninism as a threat, which includes an objective to transform the traditional values of societies, including new imposed social norms on sexuality, abortion, indigenism and environmentalism, which intend to destroy catholic conceptions of family, and which threaten capitalism.
A comparative feminist analysis of the neoliberal state in Italy and Norway. Exploring the Breivik and Traini Cases and the pathologization of masculine criminal minds
Luna Rovolon, Macerata University
In the last decade the terrorist attacks by Anders Breivik, in Oslo, and Luca Traini, in Macerata, have ingrained themselves in our collective memory. Both cases, despite some divergence, have been influenced by political propaganda through the employment of paternalistic rhetoric: Breivik and Traini have been portrayed as deviant sons in need of rehabilitation under the disciplinary authority of the State. However, this narrative diminishes the significance of such events to an exceptional and individual level, thus disregarding the structures in place that produce these masculinities in the first place. This article aims to understand the normative process of gendered naturalization by political propaganda in Norway and Italy and its political effects. Careful attention is given to the exploitation of mental disorders through the naturalization of masculine criminal behaviour produced in discourses. Afterwards, it examines paternalistic rhetoric used by political authorities to gain further political consensus. Finally, it assesses political and social effects regarding the two objects of analysis, with a focus on right-wing propaganda amplification.
Conservative Hedonics: The politics of disposition, extremism, and the pleasures of today
Jason Rozumalski, University of Oslo