100 years of “resistance” Continuity and Change in Far-Right and Right-Wing Populist Communication

How have far-right and right-wing populist groups in the 1920s and 2020s employed the “resistance” narrative to disseminate their ideology and mobilize supporters?

The project aims to identify both enduring and evolving patterns in far-right propaganda. Particular emphasis is placed on normalization and mainstreaming processes—the diffusion and societal acceptance of far-right narratives within mainstream society. The researchers also examine the mobilization and identification processes facilitated through the narrative of “resistance”. By invoking “resistance”, far-right actors seek to enhance their perceived alignment with broader societal values, elicit sympathy and support, and legitimize actions, including violent ones.

The project team analyzes far-right and right-wing populist (social) media content across the following dimensions:

– Why resistance?

Analysis of constructed threat scenarios.

– Resistance against whom or what?

Analysis of enemy images, targeted groups, and their attributions.

– Whose resistance?

Analysis of self-conceptions rooted in traditions of resistance and mechanisms of exclusion.

– Resistance through which means?

Analysis of the selection and justification of the employed “resistance” methods.

For the 2020s, the study focuses on social media platforms (e.g. Telegram groups) and the resonance of far-right narratives in so-called “alternative” media. Regarding the 1920s, the team analyzes historical archives, including press texts, flyers, and posters from the Weimar Republic. Methodologically, the project employs qualitative content analysis and historical-hermeneutic document analysis.