Major Papers

Keywords

ecofascism, climate change, decolonization, global south, anti fascism, far right

Abstract

Eco-fascism is a far-right ideology that attributes climate change to the Global South, focusing on rhetoric about overpopulation and excessive fossil fuel consumption. It avoids addressing systemic issues such as resource distribution and sustainable energy production, instead advocating for a so-called ‘cleansing’ of the world, often through acts of mass violence, as evidenced by the Christchurch shooting. This research builds on literature that adopts a liberatory outlook on climate change, such as decolonialism, ecofeminism and anti-imperialism, to analyze how ecofascist tendencies are expressed in a small-scale sample of a Reddit community that discusses climate change. The study finds that while the analyzed community is not overtly eco-fascist, it does exhibit eco-fascist tendencies and shares space with explicit fascists who call for violence against vulnerable groups.

Primary Advisor

Kyle Asquith

Program Reader

Valerie Scatamburlo-D'Annibale

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Communication, Media and Film

Document Type

Major Research Paper

Convocation Year

2024

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