Territorializations of the radical right - Spatial appropriations and discursive framing

• Applicant: Dr. Jan Hutta, since 9/2024
• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 452606956

The undermining of democratic processes by a strengthening of radical right-wing forces is currently the subject of a broad academic debate. It is often emphasized that authoritarian, exclusionary, racist and undemocratic positions are not limited to so-called social "fringes", but permeate a variety of social spheres and political camps. The scientific network "Territorializations of the radical right" ties in with this understanding of the "radical right" as a problem for society as a whole. In doing so, we focus on spatial dimensions, since no consistent research agenda for the study of radical right forces appears to have emerged yet in the field of Human Geography. Research in the Political Sciences deals with the spatiality of radical right movements and practices, yet primarily within the framework of the nation state. It is here that the contours of a promising geographical perspective emerge, on which we will elaborate in the network using the concept of territorialization. A focus on processes of territorialization offers a suitable heuristic for investigating connections between different manifestations of the radical right and spatial orders in a multiscalar manner. The network aims to bring together two dimensions that have so far been treated separately in the literature. On the one hand, we explore territorializations by the radical right - i.e. practices of appropriation, control, or coding of spaces. On the other hand, we are concerned with discursive framings as territorializations of the radical right – especially regarding spatialized representations of the successes of right-wing movements, parties and campaigns. The title of the network refers to this double perspective, since the radical right can be read both as an actor of territorialization and as the discursive object of such processes. In our network, we will set a particular focus on forms of conflict and the negotiation of discourses, images, practices, and social and political structures. A differentiated analysis of the interactions between an appropriation of space and discursive framing is encouraged by a geographical perspective on forces of the radical right. This is the network's core task and central motivation. Over the course of three years, a handbook on the "Spatiality of the radical right" (working title), a jointly written paper in an international journal, and various conference contributions will be produced by members of the network. In addition, transfer products, such as didactic materials, will be prepared.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Daniel Mullis
• Ehemalige Antragstellerin: Dr. Anke Schwarz, until 9/2024