200331 - Postponed: Policy Responses to the Radical Right in France and Germany

 Seminar Postponed

Book Launch & Debate "Policy Responses to the Radical Right in France and Germany"* (Bénédicte Laumond, Routledge, 2020) (PDF, 60 Ko)

Tuesday 31 March 2020, 5-6.30 pm, Sciences Po, Salle du Conseil, 13 rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris

Contemporary democracies are increasingly confronted with right-wing extremism, radicalism and populism. Karl Popper’s paradox of tolerance suggests that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to be tolerant is eventually seized (and ultimately destroyed) by the intolerant. Policy Responses to the Radical Right in France and Germany (Routledge, 2020) by Dr. Bénédicte Laumond addresses this classic question by looking at how governments regulate the expression of right-wing radicalism.

On the occasion of the book release, the CEE is delighted to welcome the author for a presentation and discussion on the complex relationship between right-wing radicalism and representative democracy. In the aftermaths of the terrorist attacks in Hanau (Germany) targeting the Kurdish and Turkish minorities, the seminar will also offer a space to discuss the role of the far right in the German political system, with a special focus on Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and PEGIDA.

Speaker: Bénédicte Laumond, Université de Versailles- Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, CESDIP

Bénédicte Laumond is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Centre for Sociological Research on Law and Criminal Justice (CESDIP). Her research deals with the radical right in liberal democracies and specifically, state responses to this phenomenon in France and Germany. Recent work focuses on the representations of the criminal justice system and the role of punishment among laypersons in Europe.

Book Abstract

Shall governments regulate the expressions of right-wing radicalism? How? Based on research fieldwork conducted in France and Germany, this book seeks to explain how public actors have taken part in the regulation of the expression of right-wing radicalism. The author compares these two neighboring countries which have framed the struggle against right-wing radicalism differently. German political and state actors have constructed a public policy responding to political radicalism, whilst in France, the radical right is primarily handled in the political arena. This book is core reading for scholars, students, policymakers and practitioners interested in the spread of right-wing extremism, radicalism and populism in Europe and beyond.

Chair & Discussion: Caterina Froio, Sciences Po, CEE

Contact: caterina.froio@sciencespo.fr

Key Theme: Strains on democratic representation