International Sociology and International Sociology Reviews

‘European extreme right’ is our Topic of the Month for August 2023. On this topic, enjoy Free Access to this article by Francesco Duina (Bates College, USA) and Dylan Carson (Bates College, USA) published in International Sociology, Not so right after all? Making sense of the progressive rhetoric of Europe’s far-right parties. Read on to know more about the authors’ trajectory and work.

Francesco Duina

Why are you working on this topic? Could you share an experience, a fact or a person who made you get engaged on that research?

F. Duina: The rise of populism and its ability to attract voters from many parts of the traditional political spectrum is a key to its success. A few key events led us to write this article. One such event was when Geert Wilders from the Netherlands (with his virulent anti-Islam rhetoric) appeared at the 2016 Republican Convention in the US as guest of a gay group’s pro-Trump rally to deliver a speech extolling the virtues of Christianity. We wanted to make sense of such events and, more generally, the ability of populists to attract voters through them.

Do you have any video, recorded conference, or online material that you would like us to share with others?

F. Duina: This video might be of interest: it discusses the findings from my book Broke and Patriotic: Why Poor Americans Love Their Country (Stanford University Press, 2018). The book touched on many themes related to populism in the US.

What would you emphasize about your academic trajectory? Can you highlight which have been your academic positions, universities, awards, departments and research centers?

F. Duina: I am Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology and European Studies at Bates College, USA. I have held appointments at Harvard University, Copenhagen Business School, and the University of British Columbia (where I was Professor and Head of Sociology during 2013-2015).