Hate and Propaganda

The spread of hate and harassment on social media has become a daily occurrence. Especially in times of crisis, however, conspiracy theories and antisemitic and racist content attract a particularly large audience online. Proponents of such theories and ideologies use crises to exacerbate societal division and polarisation as well as weaken democratic societies and their institutions. They have developed strategies to utilise social media functionalities and their potential for manipulation in order to further their goals.

How do democratically elected governments respond to these developments, what measures do they adopt in doing so? Do they offer appropriate responses to the strategic efforts of these extremist groups, or do they themselves undermine democratic and constitutional principles? Our team provides answers to these questions.

  • Janina Pawelz

    Why Coronavirus gives organized crime momentum to shine and flourish: a blog post

    Dr. Janina Pawelz

    In several Brazilian favelas, gangs and militias took matters into their own hands, spreading information on curfews and other restrictions via social media and patrolling the streets to ensure…

    Read more

More on Hate & Propaganda

  • New project homepage: Conspiracy Theories and Far-Right Ideologies in Times of Crisis

     

    The research network NEOVEX presents its new website.
    The core of the website is a blog on which articles and research results from the research network will be presented.
    The sub-project Diffusion…

    Read more
    image-8064

  • IFSH leads new project on conspiracy theories and right-wing extremist ideologies


    Mobilizations on the Internet and protests on the streets have already been showing increasing overlaps and mixtures of conspiracy theories and far-right ideologies in terms of content for several…

    Read more

  • New publication with two IFSH contributions: Political Islamism as a Hybrid Actor with Global Reach (in German)

    Reem Ahmed and Dr Patricia Schneider

    What drives the actors of Political Islam(ism)? What are their intentions and how do various actors within the scene go about recruiting people, building social connections and ensuring loyalty? How…

    Read more
    image-7132

  • Why is far-right rhetoric so dangerous? - new journal article

    Holger Marcks, Dr Janina Pawelz

    In recent years, scholars and policy makers alike have striven to unpack the black box of extremists’ online communication and the rise of far-right violence. IFSH experts Holger Marcks and Janina…

    Read more

  • Members of the IFSH Attend International Conference at King’s College in London

    Holger Marcks

    An international conference from 27-28 January at the venerable King’s College in London dealt with the topic of Non-State Actor Governance. Organised by the International Center for Studies of…

    Read more

  • Digital Fascism

    Maik Fielitz und Holger Marcks

    How can the phenomenon of digital fascism be grasped? What challenges does it have for the open society? IFSH experts Maik Fielitz and Holger Marcks discuss these questions in their working paper…

    Read more

  • When the centre moves to the right – IFSH experts on extremism attend Hamburg symposium

    PD Dr. Martin Kahl, Stephen Albrecht

    The challenges globalisation, digitalisation and migration facing our society are unsettling for many people. Some respond with isolationism, aggression and misanthropic views. The tone of political…

    Read more

  • Spiel mit dem Hass- Interview mit dem RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND)

    Online-Foren sind heute der zentrale Ort, an dem (junge) Menschen mit rechtsextremem Gedankengut in Kontakt kommen. Dabei sind die Botschaften sehr subtil. Rassistische Botschaften werden oft nur von…

    Read more
    image-2471

Books and Edited Volumes

  • Birsl, Ursula, Julian Junk, Martin Kahl, Robert Pelzer, ed. 2022.
    Inszenieren und Mobilisieren: Rechte und islamistische Akteure digital und analog.
    Opladen: Budrich. DOI: 10.3224/84742488.

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

  • Birsl, Ursula, Julian Junk, Martin Kahl, Robert Pelzer. 2022.
    Einleitung: Rechte und islamistische Akteure digital und analog.
    In: Inszenieren und Mobilisieren: Rechte und islamistische Akteure digital und analog, edited by Ursula Birsl, Julian Junk, Martin Kahl, Robert Pelzer, 11-32. Opladen: Budrich. DOI: 10.3224/84742488.
  • Pawelz, Janina, Holger Marcks. 2022.
    Vom Opfermythos zur Gewaltfantasie: Die Funktionsweise von rechtsextremen Bedrohungsnarrativen.
    In: Inszenieren und Mobilisieren: Rechte und islamistische Akteure digital und analog, edited by Ursula Birsl, Julian Junk, Martin Kahl, Robert Pelzer, 81-108. Opladen: Budrich. DOI: 10.3224/84742488.
  • Fielitz, Maik, Martin Kahl. 2022.
    Zwischen Tastatur und Straße: Post-digitale Strategien und Praktiken des identitären Rechtsextremismus und Islamismus im Vergleich.
    In: Inszenieren und Mobilisieren: Rechte und islamistische Akteure digital und analog, edited by Ursula Birsl, Julian Junk, Martin Kahl, Robert Pelzer, 289-317. Opladen: Budrich. DOI: 10.3224/84742488.
  • Ahmed, Reem. 2021.
    Agitation und Polarisierung im digitalen Raum.
    In: Der Politische Islamismus als hybrider Akteur globaler Reichweite, edited by Thomas Jäger, Ralph Thiele, 178-195. Berlin: Carola Hartmann Miles Verlag.
  • Albrecht, Stephen, Maik Fielitz. 2020.
    Rechtsterrorismus im digitalen Zeitalter.
    In: Wissen schafft Demokratie: Schwerpunkt Rechtsterrorismus, edited by Matthias Quent, Samuel Salzborn, Axel Salheiser, 176-187. Berlin: Amadeu Antonio Stiftung.
  • Fielitz, Maik. 2020.
    Post-digitale Kulturen der extremen Rechten.
    In: Autoritäre Formierung. Der Durchmarsch von rechts geht weiter, edited by Friedrich Burschel, 105-115. Berlin: Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung.
  • Marcks, Holger, Janusz Biene, Daniel Kaiser, Christopher Daase. 2019.
    Escalation through Cooperation: How Transnational Relations Affect Violent Resistance.
    In: Rule and Resistance Beyond the Nation State. Contestation, Escalation, Exit, edited by Felix Anderl, Christopher Daase, Nicole Deitelhoff, Victor Kempf, Jannik Pfister, Philip Wallmeier, 179-200. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield International.
  • Wallmeier, Philip, Maik Fielitz. 2019.
    Withdrawal as Dissident Politics.
    In: Rule and Resistance Beyond the Nation State. Contestation, Escalation, Exit, edited by Felix Anderl, Christopher Daase, Nicole Deitelhoff, Victor Kempf, Jannik Pfister, Philip Wallmeier, 205-219. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield International.

Working Papers and Policy Briefs

Commentaries and other Publications