Whither Fascism? Fascist Studies in the Digital Age Editorial Essay

In this editorial essay, the authors suggest that scholars of fascism can profitably pay greater attention to internet activism, digital subcultures, and online content. We explore this issue by calling for what we have termed ‘Fascism Studies 2.0’—a digital turn in the field of comparative fascist studies. The first section briefly delineates the importance of the internet in promoting contemporary forms of fascism and far-right activism, before turning to online gaming cultures and their connections with the far right—including the ‘gamification’ of terrorism—as a case study. The necessity of analysing online contexts through the lens of fascism studies is then further established through a detailed exploration of the militant accelerationist culture, a movement that has developed in recent times, and which is deeply imbued with fascist qualities. This aspect of fascism 2.0 is also powerfully emotive, and the discussion here also reflects on the need for fascism studies to engage effectively with the affective/emotional turn in the humanities and social sciences.