The porous borders of extremism: Autonomous Nationalists at the crossroad with the extreme left

In: Behavioral sciences of terrorism & political aggression, Band 7, Heft 1, S. 69-83

Abstract

This article explores the ways in which the Autonomous Nationalists (ANs) have borrowed from extreme left discourse, style and repertoires of action, and in particular inquires into the ways in which such choices have been justified in online discourse. Based on a sample of AN websites throughout Germany, a mix of deductive and inductive content analysis revealed that central subcultural concepts were present, but not as arguments per se, or only to a very small extent in the data. The bulk of the arguments were rather phrased in strategic terms, and to a lesser extent as a matter of taste or enjoyment. This confirms at the discursive level earlier findings at the individual level with regard to the importance of agency and taste for individual life choices along the radicalization path toward right-wing extremism. Adapted from the source document.