The deadly confrontations between the far right and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia have put a spotlight on the memory politics of right-wing activists and politicians. These events not only set off a cascade of local governmental action in the United States to remove icons of the Confederacy, but led to countless comparisons - particularly with how the problematic figures and events of European history have been addressed (or not). With this mini-symposium, we seek to bring together scholars of all disciplines who study the ways in which right-wing movements and leaders use and understand the past. Contributions may be (but are not limited to) the following questions:
- What are the specific memory politics of various right-wing groups and individuals? What has been their origin and effect?
- What specific historical legacies are adopted as formative for a variety of right-wing actors?
- How do narratives about the past help to frame the identity of right-wing groups?
- How do the memory politics of right-wing actors compare across countries, regions or eras?
- What are appropriate methodologies that can be used to study right-wing memory politics?
- What have governmental, civic, intellectual, or cultural reactions been to right-wing memory politics?
- How do right-wing mnemonic strategies and arguments compare to those of memory actors of other political persuasions?
- What are the normative implications of right-wing memory politics?
Looking forward to your submissions! Please submit them by September 22nd: send an abstract (250 words) and short bio (no more than 200 words) - in one word file - to Jenny Wüstenberg (jwustenb@yorku.ca).