Rural Politics of the Far Right
Session Organisers: Bernd Belina (Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany) & Matthias Naumann (University of Wuerzburg, Germany)
In a multitude of regions across the globe, far-right political parties have demonstrated a notable degree of success, particularly in rural areas. This phenomenon is especially pronounced in areas that are economically disadvantaged and have experienced marginalization as well as stigmatization. However, the manner in which the far right intends to confront the challenges faced by these rural regions remains to be elucidated. Furthermore, it is imperative to assess whether far-right parties effectively address the specific challenges confronting these regions and communities.
The session invites contributions to an analysis of the political activities of the far right in, for, or through rural areas. We posit that a more profound comprehension of the rural dimensions of far-right politics, their absence, contradictions, past development, and national differences can enhance the extant discourse on the political geographies of the far right. To that end, we invite submissions of papers from diverse empirical and geographical backgrounds on the following (or other related) issues:
- How does the far right think about “the rural”? What are their ideas about the past and future of rural areas?
- What problems are the far right identifying in their rural policies, and who do they blame for them?
- What are far-right suggestions for regional policy to deal with problems in rural areas, such as economic and demographic decline or infrastructure decay? What are the far-right positions in other rural-related fields, such as agricultural politics?
- What is the far right organized like in rural areas? Who is part of their network? What do the national parties of the far right have planned for rural areas?
- What methodological tools could be useful for studying the political activities of the far right in rural areas?
- What theoretical tools can help us understand the connection between the far right and rural places?
Abstracts (up to 200 words) may be sent to Bernd Belina (belina@em.uni-frankfurt.de) and Matthias Naumann (matthias.naumann@uni-wuerzburg.de) until 20th February 2026.
Further information regarding the conference: https://www.rgs.org/research/annual-international-conference