Oliver Decker - German perspectives on right-wing extremism

This book discusses right-wing extremism by analysing Germanophone research on this topic for the first time in English, including unique survey data from Germany and Austria. Highlighting how questions of terminology can become complicated when country cases are compared, the authors analyse theoretical and methodological issues in relation to the question of right-wing extremism. In Anglo-American academia, the term is often associated with fairly rare phenomena in the form of extremist political groups, whereas in Germany the term is often applied to a wide range of attitudes, behaviours and parties, including those which operate more within the mainstream political sphere.

Covering an array of sub-fields such as right-wing terrorism, iconography of the extreme right and the Germanophone discussion on the differentiation of right-wing populism and right-wing extremism, the authors account not only for the centrality of right-wing extremist attitudes in Germanophone research, but also point at its often overlooked relevance for the phenomenon in general. Offering an important insight into the nuanced definition of right-wing extremism across Europe and enhancing both international debate and cross-country comparative research, this book will be of interest to students and scholars researching extremism, German politics and European politics more generally.

Johannes Kiess is a researcher in the EU FP7-project LIVEWHAT at the University of Siegen, Germany and a PhD candidate in political science.

Oliver Decker is a member of the Faculty of Medicine at the University Leipzig, Germany, Head of the Research Unit Societal Change and Modern Medicine, and Head of the Centre for the Study of Right Wing Extremism and Democracy.

Elmar Brhler was the head of the Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology until 2013 at the University of Leipzig, Germany and is responsible for a longitudinal research project monitoring right-wing extremism attitudes in Germany (with Oliver Decker).

Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy

Series Editors: Roger Eatwell, University of Bath, and Matthew Goodwin, University of Kent

Founding Series Editors: Roger Eatwell, University of Bath, and Cas Mudde, University of Antwerp-UFSIA

For a full list of titles in this series, please visit www.routledge.com

This new series encompasses academic studies within the broad fields of extremism and democracy. These topics have traditionally been considered largely in isolation by academics. A key focus of the series, therefore, is the (inter-)relation between extremism and democracy. Works will seek to answer questions such as to what extent extremist groups pose a major threat to democratic parties, or how democracy can respond to extremism without undermining its own democratic credentials.

The books encompass two strands:

Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy includes books with an introductory and broad focus which are aimed at students and teachers. These books will be available in hardback and paperback. Titles include:

Routledge Research in Extremism and Democracy offers a forum for innovative new research intended for a more specialist readership. These books will be in hardback only. Titles include:

32Radical Right-wing Populist Parties in Western Europe

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33The Politics of Migration in Italy

Perspectives on local debates and party competition

Pietro Castelli Gattinara

34On Extremism and Democracy in Europe

Cas Mudde

35German Perspectives on Right-Wing Extremism

Challenges for comparative analysis

Johannes Kiess, Oliver Decker and Elmar Brhler

Edited by Johannes Kiess,
Oliver Decker and
Elmar Brhler

First published 2016

by Routledge

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2016 selection and editorial material, Johannes Kiess, Oliver Decker and Elmar Brhler; individual chapters, the contributors

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kiess, Johannes, editor, author. | Decker, Oliver, 1968 author, editor. | Brhler, E. (Elmar), author, editor.

Title: German perspectives on right-wing extremism / edited by Johannes Kiess, Oliver Decker, Elmar Brhler.

Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2016. | Series: Routledge studies in extremism and democracy

Identifiers: LCCN 2016000806 | ISBN 9781138195370 (hardback) | ISBN 9781315625386 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: Right-wing extremistsGermany. | Political cultureGermany. | Political sociologyGermany.

Classification: LCC HN460.R3 G46 2016 | DDC 306.20943dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016000806

ISBN: 978-1-138-19537-0 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-62538-6 (ebk)

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JOHANNES KIESS, OLIVER DECKER AND ELMAR BRHLER

Part I
Methodological challenges and innovations for comparative research

JOHANNES KIESS AND OLIVER DECKER

KATRIN REIMER-GORDINSKAYA

MARC GRIMM

KARIN LIEBHART

Part II
Comparing right-wing extremism: exemplary case studies

OLIVER DECKER, JOHANNES KIESS AND ELMAR BRHLER

JULIA HOFMANN

MICHAEL EDINGER AND EUGEN SCHATSCHNEIDER

TANJA WOLF

Elmar Brhler, Dr. rer. biol. hum. Prof. em., was the head of the Department for Medical Sociology and Medical Psychology at the University of Leipzig and is a member of the Competence Centre for the Study of Right-wing Extremism at the University of Leipzig.

Oliver Decker, PD Dr. phil., is a senior lecturer at the Department for Medical Sociology and Medical Psychology at the University of Leipzig, member of the Competence Centre for the Study of Right-wing Extremism at the University of Leipzig and was visiting professor at the School for Visual Arts, Department of Critical Theory and the Arts, New York (Spring 2015).

Michael Edinger, Dr. phil., is a senior lecturer at the University of Jena. He has published on German parliamentarism, right-wing extremism and the post-communist transformation.