Late Capitalist Fascism

What if fascism can no longer be confined to political parties or ultra nationalist politicians but has become something much more diffuse that is spread across our societies as cultural expressions and psychological states? This is the thesis developed by Mikkel Bolt Rasmussen, who argues that late capitalism has produced hollowed-out and exchangeable subjectivities that provide a breeding ground for a new kind of diffuse, banal fascism. The overt and concentrated fascism of the new fascist parties thrives on the diffuse fascism present in social media and everyday life, where the fear of being left behind and losing out has fuelled resentment towards foreigners and others who are perceived as threats to a national community under siege. Only by confronting both the overt fascism of parties and politicians and the diffuse fascism of everyday life will we be able to combat fascism effectively and prevent the slide into barbarism.

MIKKEL BOLT RASMUSSEN is an art historian, cultural critic and professor in Political Aesthetics at the University of Copenhagen. He has written books on the Situationist International, politicized contemporary art and the revolutionary tradition. Previous books include Trump’s Counter-Revolution (Zero Books, 2018) and After the Great Refusal (Zero Books, 2018).

Pictured are: Estonian fascist Kaalep and French fascist LePen smiling together as they mutually display the fascist sign for white supremacy. LePen later asked Kaalep to take the image off his Facebook photo stream. More photos include a “White Way” protest in Plauen, Germany, a large fascist gathering in Poland, the neo-Nazi Kotleba in Slovenia, along with English fascists in the heart of London.

Order Mikkel’s book here: https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=late-capitalist-fascism–9781509547432.

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