Translated by UiOGPT
- Which research project are you currently working on the most?
Right now, I am working on finishing a book about the youth wings of populist radical right parties. The book is the result of a comparative research project where I, in collaboration with several foreign colleagues, analyze organizational structures, members, and elites, as well as transnational connections of ten different populist radical right youth wings from across Europe, from Estonia in the east to France in the west, from Italy in the south to Sweden in the north. We have interviewed more than 50 members of the youth wings’ executive committees, including the leaders, conducted surveys among ordinary members, and collected hundreds of pages of organizational data and statutes.
- What are you hoping to find out?
We wanted to find out why young people want to join a populist radical right youth wing, what relationship these youth wings have to their parent parties, and how and to what extent such youth wings contribute to political socialization, professionalization, mobilization, and not least, internationalization. In short: Are the youth wings important for far right parties – and what role do they play in the ongoing normalization process of these parties?
- Why is this important?
This is important because populist radical right parties are a significant political force in today's Europe and often presented as a threat to liberal democracy. Several observations also suggest that these youth wings play a central role in the development of the parent parties, not least when it comes to the socialization and professionalization of future senior politicians. For example, we know that many of today's populist radical right leaders, including Lega’s Matteo Salvini in Italy, the Sweden Democrats’ Jimmie ?kesson in Sweden, and National Rally’s Jordan Bardella in France, began their political careers in the youth wings.
- Who are you collaborating with?
In this project, funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsr?det), I am collaborating with Duncan McDonnell and Sofia Ammassari, both at Griffith University in Australia, Cas Mudde at the University of Georgia in the USA, and Ann-Cathrine Jungar at S?dert?rn University in Sweden. Additionally, we have received assistance from several researchers and assistants in the countries where we do not speak the language or are not familiar with the political context.
- What do you look for when choosing collaborators?
It varies a bit from project to project, but often it is about overlapping interests combined with complementary theoretical, empirical, or methodological skills. This way, the collaboration can lead to new insights and perspectives.
Which other research projects are you involved in?
I am also involved in a larger NFR project in collaboration with researchers from the Institute for Social Research and OsloMet, which looks at the impact of the far-right's presence on the internet and social media. Otherwise, I work on international, C-REX-initiated projects that study the far-right's mobilization outside the electoral arena, for example in the form of demonstrations or through the use of violence. Another newly started project will study threats and harassment of social scientists in Europe.
- What do you find most interesting about being a researcher?
Being a researcher allows you to constantly explore new, self-chosen issues, understand more about the social and political world we live in, and collaborate with good colleagues both in and outside of Norway.
- What is the most common question you get about your work?
When it is not former study friends jokingly asking if I’m soon going to get a "real job" in the "real world," it mostly revolves around what I think about the political developments in Norway and Europe.