SOCI 240 - Fascism and Right-Wing Extremism: A Historical Sociology

The rise of right-wing extremist movements and of their influence within ‘mainstream’ political parties and governments has been a major feature of world politics in recent years. This course deals with these trends in a number of major countries (including the US, UK, Germany and India), examining the various sociological approaches that attempt to explain these movements through analyses of economic change, cultural change, and racial/ethnic ideologies. Centrally, students are asked whether or not there are parallels or continuities between these movements and the historical Fascism of the 1919-1945 period. Students will consider the major theoretical approaches to the study of Fascism and Populism in the sociological literature and survey some key examples of historical Fascist regimes and movements. Students will also study movements, both in the present and the past, which have attempted to oppose right wing extremism, asking whether they comprise a coherent political tradition.

Credits: 1
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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