Italian Theory and New Political Extremisms (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought)

So far this century, the most developed democratic societies have witnessed the emergence of various extremist political movements. Some have nationalist connotations, others religious; there are right-wing and left-wing, pacifist and violent, with environmental or social motivations, etc. But they all share reactionary, dogmatic and illiberal traits. Such movements testify to some of the limitations of our societies and the condition of life in them. Therefore, understanding the challenges they pose to our institutions is vital not only to confront them but also to identify their shortcomings and work to improve them.

Using Italian Theory as a conceptual lens, this book provides genealogies of current extremist political movements, their theoretical assumptions and the challenges they imply. Succinct and accessible chapters discuss different manifestations of political extremism: its violence, its relation to populism, its religious dimension, its conception of political action, some of its intellectual influences and its anti-liberal and totalitarian character, to name a few.

Italian Theory and New Political Extremisms is highly relevant to researchers and students interested in learning a series of concepts, categories, metaphors and arguments that are unique and extraordinarily useful for approaching the phenomenon of political extremism in a comprehensive manner.

Alfonso Galindo Hervás is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Murcia, Spain. His research and publications focus on the fields of contemporary political philosophy and the history of political concepts. He has paid special attention to Italian political thought, the liberal tradition and some of the main phenomena of current politics, such as populism.