How to respond to right wing extremism? Presentation at the Faculty - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How to respond to right wing extremism? Presentation at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bournemouth University, 17.04.2018 Prof. Dr. Heinz Lynen von Berg, University of Applied Sciences Bremen

CONTENT I. Introduction Right wing extremism – what does it mean? II. III. How to respond to right wing extremism? - main players and institutions to combat right wing extremism IV. Conclusion 2

I. Introduction and first hand experience • Content: • Focus on right wing extremism and not on right wing populism; • Central question of the workshop: How to respond to, how to tackle this challenge? 3

II. Rigth wing extremism: What does it mean? Dimensions according to Richard Stoess (2010: 21) rigth wing extremism Behaviour/Activities: Attitudes: - Protest/provocation - Nationalism - Ethnocentrism - Electoral behaviour - Social-Darwinism - Anti-Semitism - Participation - Pro-National Socialism (NS) - Pro dictatorship - Membership (e.g. in a party) - Sexism - Violence, even terror 4

II. Rigth wing extremism: What does it mean? • Right wing extremism is an umbrella term - different dimensions and aspects are summarized by one term; - this term produces a lot of ambiguities and difficulties: • We do not have to react to only one aspect but to several and very different aspects. • How can we manage these huge challenges?

III. How to response to right wing extremism? Main players and institutions to combat right wing extremism: - institutions of national security and criminal proceedings; - policy makers, e.g. main parties; - civil society, citizens and political movements; education (e.g. school) and political education; - social work : - - approaches and methods; - attitudes and ethical principles - Is social work political? - How is it based on a theory? 6

IV. Conclusion and open questions 7

The End or the Beginning? „ There is no good, apart from doing good!“ (Erich Kästner, a german writer) Thank you very much for your attention and your cooperation! 8

References • Lynen von Berg, Heinz (2000): Political middle and right wing extremism. (German title: Politische Mitte und Rechtsextremismus). Opladen: Leske + Budrich. • Stöss, Richard (2010): Right wing extremism in change. (German title: Rechtsextremismus im Wandel). Berlin: Friedrich- Ebert-Stiftung. 9