Ethics of Researching the Far Right

Antonia Vaughan is a researcher in Politics at the University of BathJoan Braune is Lecturer in Philosophy at Gonzaga UniversityMeghan Tinsley is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of ManchesterAurelien Mondon is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Bath

• IntroductionPart I: What’s in a name1. What the far right is(n’t) – Omran Shroufi2. Race, racism, and the far right: critical reflections for the field – Kurt Sengul3. When racism seems to be the hardest word: critical reflections from studying the Lega (Nord) – George Newth4. When the far right experiences violence: our ethical duty to the othered – Ryan Switzer5. Ecofascism, far-right ecologism and neo-Malthusianism – Miranda Jeanne Marie IossifidisPart II: Positionality, standpoint, and intersectionality6. ‘Far right studies’ and the unbearable whiteness of being – Aurelien Mondon7. Safety and silence: oral history, far right research and the paradox of the ‘vocal minority’ – Imo Kaufman8. On the incompleteness of ethnography: embracing and navigating failure as a principle in research on the far right – Balša Lubarda9. Ethnographic empathy and research ethics as methodological whiteness – Catherine Tebaldi and Rae Jereza10. Emotions in methodology: resisting violent ideological structures in the knowledge-production of extremisms – Elsa Bengtsson Meuller11. Reflections on researching armed Nazis as an unarmed left-wing Jew: politics, privilege, and practical concerns – Aaron WinterPart III: The haunting past: memory and far right studies12. Heritage, archaeology, ancestry, and the far right – David Farrell-Banks and Lorna-Jane Richardson13. Another way to do ethics: uses of the landscape in the far-right cultural milieu and the ethics of researching them – Andrew Fergus Wilson14. Researching memory and heritage during a culture war – Meghan Tinsley, Ruth Ramsden-Karelse, Chloe Peacock, and Sadia Habib15. Archiving the extreme: ethical challenges in sharing, researching, and teaching – Daniel Jones16. Researching racism in racist times - Jean BeamanPart IV: Care and safety17. How do you respond when you feel under threat? A reflective exploration into my experience with the far right online – Alice Sibley18. Community building as a response to care in studying the far right – Kayla Preston19. Negotiating contradiction in success and safety: a consideration of environmental constraints on risk management – Antonia Vaughan20. Spectre: covert research in digital far-right ‘red zones’ – Jackson Wood21. Navigating a feminist ethics of care, ethnographic methods, and academic activism in researching men’s rights and the far right: a researcher’s struggles – Luc CousineauPart V: Complications of engaging far-right participants and formers22. Ethics of listening: between criticism and empathy in oral history interviews and politically charged research contexts - Vanessa Tautter23. Harms of the compassion narrative: ethical considerations regarding stories of disengagement from white supremacist movements – Joan Braune24. Voices from the past: a psychosocial reflection on interacting with a far-right activist - Yutaka Yoshida25. Interviewing the ‘unlovable’: on the challenges of conducting feminist research on far-right women – Katherine Williams26. Examining far-right empowerment experiences using Youtube and Parler data: managing researcher safety and ethical and methodological requirements – Carina Hoerst and John DruryPart VI: Activism and dissemination27. Critically examining the role of the scholar in policymaking on the far right – Richard McNeil-Willson, Michael Vaughan, and Michael Zeller28. Critical reflexivity and research on state responses to the far right – Anna A. Meier29. An anti-racist scholar-activist ethic: working in service to racial justice – Remi Joseph-Salisbury, Laura Connelly, and Aurelien Mondon30. The far right from the underside of history: decolonising far right studies – Isis Giraldo31. How should journalists engage with the far right? – Gary Younge32. Researching the far right: towards an ethics of talking ‘about’ – Katy Brown

'The ethics of researching the Far Right is perhaps the first investigation into the moral responsibility we have in documenting the threat that fascism presents. This expertly edited volume is one of the most important interventions ever made into this field and should be required reading for anyone documenting the far-right.'Shane Burley, author of Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism'A timely and much needed collection. It highlights the ongoing necessity - as well as the huge complexity - of reflective and critical research on the contemporary far right, especially as it becomes increasingly normalised and mainstreamed. A fantastic resource for scholars and students conducting systematic research on the far right across a wide range of social science disciplines.'Professor Michal Krzyzanowski, Uppsala University, Sweden'At last! A straight-on discussion of ethical quagmires in studies of the far-right, and a guide to navigating issues of political impact, safety, terminology, and more. A must-read for scholars and students.'Kathleen Blee, co-author of Out of Hiding: Extremist White Supremacy and How It Can Be Stopped (2024)