The New Right on American Campuses: Challenges for Higher Education

Abstract

: This paper arises out of a very contemporary problem that is plaguing higher education: how the notion of ‘free speech’ is being misused to hamper truly scholarly debate and encourage hate and fear primarily through misinformation. To understand how this issue has arisen and become important, the paper explores the origins and growth of a loose group of disgruntled pro-white far-right reactionaries (DPWFRR), who market themselves using the term ‘Alt Right.’ Free speech is but one of many of their ‘concerns’ and perhaps not a central one. The intellectual ambitions and financial foundations of these groups on the one hand and the identity needs of young people on the other hand serve as explanatory frameworks to understand the attraction of students to the DPWFRR’s digital networks. This paper reveals the underlying depth of the problem and suggests that institutions and staff have a clear (though difficult) path ahead if there is to be a powerful and effective revolt against this popular reactionary right-wing network.

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