The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization

Eviane Leidig

Published by Columbia University Press 2023

The Women of the Far Right

Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization

Eviane Leidig

https://doi.org/10.7312/leid21016

Overview
Contents

About this book

Eviane Leidig offers an in-depth look into the world of far-right women influencers, exploring the digital lives they cultivate as they seek new recruits for white nationalism.

Author / Editor information

Eviane Leidig is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at Tilburg University. She is affiliated with the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo, the Global Network on Extremism and Technology in London, and the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague. She has been featured by The Independent, Al Jazeera, BBC, Australia Broadcasting Corporation, and Bellingcat, among others.

Reviews

Arie Perliger, author of American Zealots: Inside Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism:
The Women of the Far Right explores how female influencers shape the discourse, norms, and practices of the far right and participate in the mobilization of new supporters. This book shows how important the role of far-right women influencers is in cultural polarization and social conflicts in Western societies and, thus, how they are expanding what far-right ideology means and its social impact.

Alice Marwick, author of Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age:
The Women of the Far Right is an immensely readable ethnographic investigation of an oft-overlooked aspect of modern extremism—the role of women. Eviane Leidig deftly shows how far-right influencers leverage social media tools like Instagram and YouTube to normalize extreme ideas. The book is a cautionary tale of how hateful ideas can be easily cloaked, and how influential they can be.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, author of Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right:
Leidig’s deep dive into the social media worlds of far-right women reveals how they weaponize mainstream influencer branding and marketing strategies to soften and package far-right content within relatable, everyday stories. Original, timely, and indispensable for understanding the modern far right.

Cas Mudde, coauthor of Populism: A Very Short Introduction:
Finally, a book that looks at the women of the alt-right, the social media influencers who radicalize with a smile, who curate online “authenticity,” and who use traditional femininity to fight feminism. Critical but not dismissive, Eviane Leidig takes these women seriously without taking them at their word. As we all should.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Introduction: “A New Chapter” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. The Alt-Right Versus the Far Right Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	16
2. Down the Rabbit Hole: My Red Pill Journey Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	36
3. Femininity Not Feminism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
4. The Making of a Tradwife Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	89
5. Crowdsourcing Hate Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	123
6. From Protests to Parliaments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
7. Countering the Far Right Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	170
Conclusion: “I’ve Taken the Real-Life Pill” Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	225
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	263

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;

eBook

Published: October 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780231558303