Susceptibility to the Far-Right Appeal: Structural Factors and Personal Needs

The alternative conceptual framing of the far right, as proposed in Chapter 2, urges us to also look beyond ideological factors in our attempt to not only delineate far-right fringe movements from the social mainstream but also understand the appeal of these milieus and communities. This chapter addresses what is arguably one of the most crucial questions in the context of far-right extremism or radicalism: Why are individuals attracted to far-right spaces and what makes them more receptive to the appeal of these anti-democratic, counter-hegemonic communities? There is, of course, no simple answer, but any attempt to prevent and counter far-right extremism (Part II of this book) is destined to remain ineffective without a good grasp of the various interconnected psychological, socio-political and structural factors that influence these susceptibilities.