New book from IRMS Fellows Hannah Stiverson & Meredith Pruden: Banal Fascism Online: Weaponizing the "Everyday" for Extreme Ends, a new framework for understanding fascism as it operates online. Essential for anyone concerned about the fragility of liberal democracy. tinyurl.com/mryb56na

Some relatively light-hearted reflections on my time in the field, including the time I drank 3 coffees before conducting my first ever interview (pro tip - don't do this).

Fieldwork reflections

A couple of weeks ago, I got a notification on my phone’s photo app that it had been 7 years since I was in Berlin. This particular visit was significant as it was during the period of overseas fie…

drkatwilliams.co.uk

I'm not sure eating an entire pack of sour sweets as I sit here innocently catching up with some peer review was my best strategy after being at work all day.

Ascending Energy: Cosmic Light

ALT: Ascending Energy: Cosmic Light

static.klipy.com

Some of my recent knitting projects. Including a work in progress of a not at all settling green man/foliate head (found at Llandaff Cathedral). The Bayeux panel is based on a chart by Roland Designs, and the Olga sweater pattern is by petiteknit 🧶

Do you study the #farright & its role in the transformation of liberal democracies? Are you searching for a good home for your manuscript? Look no further: @anamariab99.bsky.social, @mariopeucker.bsky.social, @mattiazulianello.bsky.social & I are putting together a collection for Springer's HSSC

Far-right mobilisation and democratic transformation

This Humanities and Social Sciences Communications Collection examines the contemporary dynamics of far-right mobilisation and its implications for democracy. ...

nature.com

I did my first fieldwork interview 7 years ago today 🤣 I remember I got absolutely soaked en route and I was wearing a horrible pair of shoes which hurt my feet. I'd psyched myself up so much to speak German (three coffees 🪦) but the interviewee wanted to speak English at the last minute.

Great To Recieve My Physical Copy of this AMAZING Volume 'The Routledge Handbook of Online Violent Extremism' I Was Pleased to Contribute Two Chapters, One on Ecofascism 🌳🌲 and One on Visual Analysis 💃💃💃 🥂🥂🎉🎉🎊🎊

My “A Short History of Nazi-Satanism,” the first comprehensive overview of Nazi-Satanism, is finally out! Runs from the 1970s alliances b/t the Church of Satan & neo-Nazi groups thru today’s Order of Nine Angles and NVE. Link for PDF download. (captcha req) escholarship.org/uc/item/1f57...

I keep forgetting to write on my blog posts that I'd be happy to talk about my book if there's interest. However, I've just started a new job so we'd have to wrangle it. Online in the evenings would mostly be fine, with more scope for in-person in early 2027 if that's your thing.

Some thoughts about the importance of language learning and utilising foreign-language resources in research on the far right ⬇️

Thinking locally, thinking globally

I went to a workshop day on the materiality of the far right a couple of weeks ago and in discussing our various projects, the topic of the importance of foreign-language resources was briefly touc…

drkatwilliams.co.uk

It's time...

I recently finished reading @drkatw.bsky.social's important and very timely book on women's engagement in the far-right Alternative Für Deutschland, examined through a critical feminist lens. A must-read for everyone who wants to have an in-depth insight ⬇ www.routledge.com/Women-and-Al...

It's just a few thoughts. Trying to get the hang of the whole blogging thing around work and life. It's not perfect, but then what is? Maybe Dolly Parton's cover of Stairway to Heaven, but that's a different discussion altogether.

My latest blog post on what recent election results in Germany do (or don't) tell us about the groups which vote for the AfD:

The numbers game

In the introduction to my book, I make the argument that the AfD’s emergence onto the political stage in 2013 is not entirely unprecedented; the German far right has in fact existed in one form or …

drkatwilliams.co.uk

1/Nie werde ich den 18. März 1990 in meinem Leben vergessen: Zum ersten Mal in meinem Leben durfte ich wählen - und habe seither keine einzige Wahl verpaßt.Viel zu viele Menschen in unserem Land haben längst vergessen, wie viele Menschen für freie,geheime, allgemeine und gleiche Wahlen gekämpft und

I sent a friend in Germany a copy of my book but it's being returned to sender as apparently the address is wrong. I wrote "-n" instead of "-r" on a relative pronoun in the address line but everything else (building name and number, post code etc.) was correct. Absolutely maddening.

Just a couple of days away from my desk, and look what the book fairy has left for me! Recommended, if slightly scary reading for anyone interest in #femonationlism (and other things #farright)

I couldn't have done it without my stellar PhD supervisors Claudia and @hdiamond.bsky.social ♥️

Dr. Claudia Hillebrand@ckhillebrand.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Here it is. The excellent book by @drkatw.bsky.social. It’s been a great pleasure to supervise this research project. Kat put so much hard work into this book, and it couldn’t be more timely and important. I hope you’ll all read it.

I wrote a book about why www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Why does the hard right have such a high tolerance for domestic abusers in their midst?

The ‘stop the boats’ narrative is increasingly presented as if it stems from a concern for women’s safety. This is just the laundering of thuggery

theguardian.com

Flush with its success in Saxony-Anhalt, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is in a strong position heading into two other state elections later this month, according to polls www.newsweek.com/german-far-r...

German far-right AfD chances of winning next state elections

After getting the most votes in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD has its eye on Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin later this month.

newsweek.com

I have finally gotten around to launching my blog. Be kind to me, graphic design isn't my passion 🤣🥲 hoping to post semi-regularly about my independent research activities. Sorry about the big thumbnail of my face.

Dr Kat Williams

Researcher and author

drkatwilliams.co.uk

This piece gives a good overview of what might happen next in Saxony-Anhalt.

Germany’s far-right AfD scores its biggest win with Saxony-Anhalt landslide

An anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party is on the threshold of holding significant power for the first time.

politico.eu

My first solo-author article, Is the Far-Right Anti-Science?, is now published in Social Epistemology. It explores the far-right’s epistemic struggle to claim scientific authority, attacking and co-opting science to legitimise white supremacy & misogyny—an issue academia must increasingly attend to

Aurelien Mondon@aurelmondon.com · 3mo ago

Excellent and incredibly timely article 'scholars must engage deeply with the far-right’s epistemic and metapolitical strategies, exploring how to challenge scientific misinformation when it assumes the appearance of scientific legitimacy' www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I'm so absolutely thrilled and grateful to receive a box of my very own book this morning 🥂🎉🪩🥳

Just in case you needed a lil extra incentive to support my independent research work 😉 (released in HB and e-book format on 25th Aug) 🥂

As the last frond of Halley's comet crept nearer my elbow, I felt my soul leave my body. Tattooed by Dylan David at Stronghold in Cardiff ☄️

Registration is open for our international conference “Ideologies and Networks Across Borders: The Transnational Far Right” in Leipzig! Join us for a broad range of panels + keynotes by Anukriti Dixit, @vladimirsafatle.bsky.social & @kai-arzheimer.com. Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/ideologies...

My forthcoming book is available to pre-order from today 🎉⬇️ notify your university libraries across the lands

Women and Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)

Women and Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) sheds new light on aspects of women’s support for the far right. Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, AfD) is the second largest party in G...

routledge.com

As my 40th birthday approaches, I have bought a dress with squids and sea critters on it and booked a tattoo. What tat design, you ask? Well, it's Halley's comet as it is interpreted on the Bayeux Tapestry 😂☄️ my only plan as I enter my 4th decade is to keep being this cool 😎

"Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see." An underrated classic.

James Crossland@jamescrossland.bsky.social · 4mo ago

There are two types of people in this world: Those who will watch Jurassic Park tonight. Those who will watch Event Horizon tonight.