Panel on the Historical Perspective of "Spectres of Fascism"

From the United States and Britain to Egypt, India, Turkey and Brazil, fascist ideology, aesthetics and personalities are on the rise. Spectres of Fascism offers a framework to help us understand whether what we are witnessing today is best understood as a return to classic twentieth-century “fascism,” or some species of what has been called “post-fascism.” Applying a uniquely global perspective, it combines analyses of historical contexts, theoretical approaches and contemporary geopolitics.

This publication started as the Spectre of Fascism Free School, organized by Samir Gandesha and Stephen Collis and co-sponsored by the Institute for the Humanities and rabble.ca, at UNIT/PITT Projects (236 E. Pender St.) over a 9-month period in 2017.

The Free School aimed to open a discussion on the question of the extent to which what we are witnessing today is a return to classic 20th century “fascism” or some species of what Enzo Traverso, author of amongst other books, The Origins of Nazi Violence, calls “post-fascism.” The first session looked at theories and histories of 20th century fascism and authoritarianism, and the second session looked to more contemporary 21st century examples. Both sessions explored the practical responses to the global spread of authoritarianism.

Ingo Schmidt, Panelist

Ingo Schmidt teaches Labour Studies at Athabasca University. Recent books include Reading 'Capital' Today: Marx After 150 Years (with Carlo Fanelli) and The Three Worlds of Social Democracy: A Global View. 

Jaleh Mansoor, Panelist

Jaleh Mansoor is an associate professor of Art History at UBC, Mansoor’s areas of teaching and research include modernism and the avant-gardes, European art since 1945, Marxism and Frankfurt School Theory, formalism, Marxist feminism, and social reproduction theory. 

Tamir Bar-On, Panelist

Tamir Bar-On is a researcher and professor in the School of Social Sciences and Government, Tec de Monterrey, and is a specialist on French and European New Right, fascism, the Right in various countries, the history of political ideologies, the Alt Right, Islamism, terrorism, and football (soccer) and the Right. 

Samir Gandesha, Moderator

Samir Gandesha is currently Associate Professor in the Department of the Humanities and the Director of the Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University. He specializes in modern European thought and culture, with a particular emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries.