Project description

This project examines the varied manifestations of the far right across political parties, social movements, and online platforms in contemporary democracies. It explores the ways far-right groups organise, mobilise, and spread their supremacist ideas. The project aims to generate insights into the challenges the far-right poses to democracy in Australia and abroad, including violent extremism, the undermining of democratic institutions and processes like elections, and the perpetuation (and normalisation) of racism and white supremacy.

Project outputs

1. McSwiney, J. Gunaydin, E., & Maher, H. (2023). Discourses of western civilisation in the Australian parliament, in E. Smith, J. Persian, & V. J. Kenway (Eds.), Histories of Fascism and Anti-fascism in Australia (pp. 218-34). Routledge.

2. Maher, H., Gunaydin, E., & McSwiney, J. (2022). Western civilizationism and white supremacy: The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation. Patterns of Prejudice, 55(4), 309-330

3. McSwiney, J. (2022). Organising Australian Far-Right Parties: Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and Fraser Anning’s Conservative National Party. Australian Journal of Political Science. E-pub ahead of print.

4. Jasser, G., McSwiney, J., Pertwee, E., & Zannettou, S. (2021). ‘Welcome to #GabFam’: Far-right virtual community on Gab. New Media & Society. E-pub ahead of print.

5. McSwiney, J., Vaughan, M. Heft, A., & Hoffman., M. (2021). Sharing the hate? Memes and transnationality in the far right’s digital visual culture. Information, Communication & Society, 24(16) 2502-2521.  

Public engagement (select list)

1. Jenna Price: How do we stop misinformation spreading online? The Canberra Times. (2022, December 16).

2. Far-right groups targeting young people, inquiry finds. The Age. (2022, August 30).

3. Right-wing parties line up for make-or-break Victorian state election. The New Daily. (2022, 22 June).

4. Dr Jordan McSwiney on One Nation & Western Civilisation. Yeah Nah Pasaran! (2022, 9 June).