Julia Leser
@jleser.bsky.social
Political ethnographer; police, bureaucracy, far-right politics, populism & heritage, affect studies, state theory & anthropology @sfb138.bsky.social
Pinned
Julia Leser
@jleser.bsky.social
· Sep 3
Right-Wing Populism and Museums: Findings from an Interview Study in the UK, Poland and Germany
| Museum & Society
journals.le.ac.uk
Our paper "Right-Wing Populism and Museums" is out! It shows how European museums are navigating rising pressures from the far right, from direct interventions to subtle forms of influence, and how this leads to self-censorship, reshaping curatorial practices & the role of cultural institutions.
Reposted by Julia Leser
Don't miss today's webinar on researcher safety and vicarious trauma!
Don't miss next week's C-REX/CANSES webinar: "Researcher Safety and Vicarious Trauma: Recommendations for Universities, Supervisors, and Researchers" with Clare McKendry, moderated by @audreygagnon.bsky.social. Nov. 20, 2025, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (CET), Online www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/englis...
Researcher Safety and Vicarious Trauma: Recommendations for Universities, Supervisors, and Researchers
- C-REX – Center for Research on Extremism
with Clare McKendry, University of Waterloo
www.sv.uio.no
November 20, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Don't miss today's webinar on researcher safety and vicarious trauma!
Reposted by Julia Leser
New article by former C-REX postdoc @acmack.bsky.social and colleagues: what can universities do to better support those who study the far right. Check it out!
It's new article day! So excited that this piece with @luccousineau.bsky.social and @iamryanhopkins.bsky.social is out in the world. In it we work through our experiences studying the far-right & propose some ways universities can better support students.
journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/SS...
journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/SS...
Scholar and Student Wellness while Confronting Violence and Ignorance: Can we Trust our Institutions when we are Targeted?
| Studies in Social Justice
journals.library.brocku.ca
October 30, 2025 at 6:24 AM
New article by former C-REX postdoc @acmack.bsky.social and colleagues: what can universities do to better support those who study the far right. Check it out!
Reposted by Julia Leser
You know who else was super-interested in giant monuments that linked elites/nations to mythic greatness? Oh right. Fascists.
America’s Tech Right Is Obsessed With Building Giant Statues
With proposals for a 450-foot statue of Prometheus on Alcatraz and a 650-foot George Washington, MAGA adherents are racing to build America’s largest statue.
www.bloomberg.com
October 17, 2025 at 12:47 PM
You know who else was super-interested in giant monuments that linked elites/nations to mythic greatness? Oh right. Fascists.
Reposted by Julia Leser
Join us today at 5 PM (CET) (8:00 AM PDT and 11:00 AM EDT) for a webinar on the ethical aspects of ethnographic fieldwork among the far right!
Is it okay to engage with extremists? Join our webinar with @lizzypearson.bsky.social from Royal Holloway, University of London, on Oct. 16, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, online. Moderated, as always, by the one and only @audreygagnon.bsky.social! www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/englis...
Is it ok to talk to extremists? Navigating gender and avoiding legitimisation in ethnography with the far right
- C-REX – Center for Research on Extremism
with Elizabeth Pearson, Royal Holloway, University of London
www.sv.uio.no
October 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Join us today at 5 PM (CET) (8:00 AM PDT and 11:00 AM EDT) for a webinar on the ethical aspects of ethnographic fieldwork among the far right!
Reposted by Julia Leser
Wir müssen Universitätsleitungen und -administrationen an ihre Schutzaufgaben erinnern. Die Universität Halle hat hier dringend Nachholbedarf.
October 15, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Wir müssen Universitätsleitungen und -administrationen an ihre Schutzaufgaben erinnern. Die Universität Halle hat hier dringend Nachholbedarf.
New #openaccess book by Jan Kubik & Richard Mole:
"The Anatomy of Right-Wing Populism:
Dealing with transformational fatigue in Central and Eastern Europe"
The chapter lineup looks fascinating – can’t wait to explore this.
uclpress.co.uk/book/the-ana...
"The Anatomy of Right-Wing Populism:
Dealing with transformational fatigue in Central and Eastern Europe"
The chapter lineup looks fascinating – can’t wait to explore this.
uclpress.co.uk/book/the-ana...
The Anatomy of Right-Wing Populism
Over the past two decades, populist politicians and parties have enjoyed remarkable success across the globe. The rise of right-wing populism is perhaps most noticeable in post-communist Europe, espec...
uclpress.co.uk
October 14, 2025 at 1:31 PM
New #openaccess book by Jan Kubik & Richard Mole:
"The Anatomy of Right-Wing Populism:
Dealing with transformational fatigue in Central and Eastern Europe"
The chapter lineup looks fascinating – can’t wait to explore this.
uclpress.co.uk/book/the-ana...
"The Anatomy of Right-Wing Populism:
Dealing with transformational fatigue in Central and Eastern Europe"
The chapter lineup looks fascinating – can’t wait to explore this.
uclpress.co.uk/book/the-ana...
Reposted by Julia Leser
‘Some librarians were fired; some received death threats. At one point in the film, a grandfather turns up at a school meeting with a gun to tell the library supporters: “We know what you do. We know where you live.”’
Anna Aslanyan on book bans and censorship: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
Anna Aslanyan on book bans and censorship: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
Anna Aslanyan | The Censor’s Scissors
John Heartfield was forced to leave Germany in 1933. Even before the Nazis put him on their hit list, his art had caused...
www.lrb.co.uk
October 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
‘Some librarians were fired; some received death threats. At one point in the film, a grandfather turns up at a school meeting with a gun to tell the library supporters: “We know what you do. We know where you live.”’
Anna Aslanyan on book bans and censorship: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
Anna Aslanyan on book bans and censorship: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/oc...
Reposted by Julia Leser
Ernüchternd: «Der Blick auf die Geschichte der deutschen Universitäten im 20. Jahrhundert zeigt, dass sie als Institutionen äußerst anpassungsfähig an die politischen Gegebenheiten waren. Gleichzeitig traten sie … nach 1918, 1945 und vor 1989 nicht als Treiber demokratischer Entwicklungen auf.»
Hochschulen verstehen sich selbst als weltoffen, vielfältig und fortschrittsorientiert. Doch wie verteidigen sie die Freiheit von Wissenschaft und Bildung vor autokratischen Eingriffen? Christoph Haker und Lukas Otterspeer mit einer kritischen Analyse. geschichtedergegenwart.ch/die-rolle-vo...
Die Rolle von Hochschulen in autoritären Zeiten
Hochschulen verstehen sich selbst als weltoffen, vielfältig und fortschrittsorientiert. Doch wie verteidigen sie die Freiheit von Wissenschaft und Bildung vor autokratischen Eingriffen? Christoph Hake...
geschichtedergegenwart.ch
October 5, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Ernüchternd: «Der Blick auf die Geschichte der deutschen Universitäten im 20. Jahrhundert zeigt, dass sie als Institutionen äußerst anpassungsfähig an die politischen Gegebenheiten waren. Gleichzeitig traten sie … nach 1918, 1945 und vor 1989 nicht als Treiber demokratischer Entwicklungen auf.»
Reposted by Julia Leser
«Part of the misunderstanding of the deepfake threat stems from the idea that it is a problem of bad information, rather than a problem of desire (or the material conditions that shape desire). The deepfakes proliferating across far-right social media … are fascistic dream machines.» #MemeFascism
Claire Wilmot | Fascistic Dream Machines
Part of the misunderstanding of the deepfake threat stems from the idea that it is a problem of bad information, rather...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 26, 2025 at 1:27 PM
«Part of the misunderstanding of the deepfake threat stems from the idea that it is a problem of bad information, rather than a problem of desire (or the material conditions that shape desire). The deepfakes proliferating across far-right social media … are fascistic dream machines.» #MemeFascism
Reposted by Julia Leser
In vielen sächsischen Kommunen entscheidet die AfD längst mit – auch über die Verteilung von Fördermitteln. Besonders im Visier sind soziokulturelle Zentren katapult-sachsen.de/artikel/wenn... via @katapultmagazin.bsky.social
Wenn die Brandmauer fällt
In vielen sächsischen Kommunen entscheidet die AfD längst mit – auch über die Verteilung von Fördermitteln. Besonders im Visier sind soziokulturelle Zentren, die sich für Demokratie, Vielfalt und Teil...
katapult-sachsen.de
September 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
In vielen sächsischen Kommunen entscheidet die AfD längst mit – auch über die Verteilung von Fördermitteln. Besonders im Visier sind soziokulturelle Zentren katapult-sachsen.de/artikel/wenn... via @katapultmagazin.bsky.social
Reposted by Julia Leser
In ganz Deutschland kann man den Rechtsruck in Schulen erkennen. Aber es gibt Orte, an denen die Stimmung bereits gekippt ist.
Wir haben für unsere Recherche mit dem @zdfmagaz.in von @janboehm.bsky.social mit drei Schülern gesprochen, die sich wehren. Ihr solltet ihnen zuhören. THREAD 🧵
Wir haben für unsere Recherche mit dem @zdfmagaz.in von @janboehm.bsky.social mit drei Schülern gesprochen, die sich wehren. Ihr solltet ihnen zuhören. THREAD 🧵
September 23, 2025 at 9:38 AM
In ganz Deutschland kann man den Rechtsruck in Schulen erkennen. Aber es gibt Orte, an denen die Stimmung bereits gekippt ist.
Wir haben für unsere Recherche mit dem @zdfmagaz.in von @janboehm.bsky.social mit drei Schülern gesprochen, die sich wehren. Ihr solltet ihnen zuhören. THREAD 🧵
Wir haben für unsere Recherche mit dem @zdfmagaz.in von @janboehm.bsky.social mit drei Schülern gesprochen, die sich wehren. Ihr solltet ihnen zuhören. THREAD 🧵
Reposted by Julia Leser
In den nächsten zwei Semestern organisieren wir diese interdisziplinäre Vorlesungsreihe "Faschisierung – analytische Perspektiven, Schauplätze, Gegenstrategien". Jede Vorlesung an einer anderen Uni und hybrid! Ich spreche am 20.1. am @zfk-mr.bsky.social Marburg.
krisol-wissenschaft.org/fascisation
krisol-wissenschaft.org/fascisation
September 22, 2025 at 10:23 AM
In den nächsten zwei Semestern organisieren wir diese interdisziplinäre Vorlesungsreihe "Faschisierung – analytische Perspektiven, Schauplätze, Gegenstrategien". Jede Vorlesung an einer anderen Uni und hybrid! Ich spreche am 20.1. am @zfk-mr.bsky.social Marburg.
krisol-wissenschaft.org/fascisation
krisol-wissenschaft.org/fascisation
Our paper "Right-Wing Populism and Museums" is out! It shows how European museums are navigating rising pressures from the far right, from direct interventions to subtle forms of influence, and how this leads to self-censorship, reshaping curatorial practices & the role of cultural institutions.
Right-Wing Populism and Museums: Findings from an Interview Study in the UK, Poland and Germany
| Museum & Society
journals.le.ac.uk
September 3, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Our paper "Right-Wing Populism and Museums" is out! It shows how European museums are navigating rising pressures from the far right, from direct interventions to subtle forms of influence, and how this leads to self-censorship, reshaping curatorial practices & the role of cultural institutions.
Reposted by Julia Leser
Wie groß ist die Bedrohung für den Rechtsstaat aus dem Inneren seiner Institutionen – wenn sich also Richter:innen, Polizist:innen oder Soldat:innen nicht mehr dem Grundgesetz verpflichtet fühlen? Auf viele Weckrufe sind bislang wenig echte Konsequenzen gefolgt: www.blaetter.de/ausgabe/2024...
Bedrohung von innen
Wie groß ist die Gefahr durch Polizist:innen und Soldat:innen, die sich nicht mehr dem Grundgesetz verpflichtet fühlen?
www.blaetter.de
September 1, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Wie groß ist die Bedrohung für den Rechtsstaat aus dem Inneren seiner Institutionen – wenn sich also Richter:innen, Polizist:innen oder Soldat:innen nicht mehr dem Grundgesetz verpflichtet fühlen? Auf viele Weckrufe sind bislang wenig echte Konsequenzen gefolgt: www.blaetter.de/ausgabe/2024...
Reposted by Julia Leser
'ChatGPT’s interpretation of contested memoryscapes favours the voice of current governments, capitalism and the far-right'. Our new article, led by Tania Gonzáles Cantera, is out. It is an outcome of Tania's visit to the #HeritageMindsLab @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social last yr doi.org/10.1080/1352...
ChatGPT’s interpretation of contested memoryscapes favours the voice of current governments, capitalism and the far-right
This study examines political biases in ChatGPT-4o’s interpretations of memoryscapes linked to dictatorial regimes in Spanish-speaking countries. Using a least-to-most prompting model and a Discour...
doi.org
September 1, 2025 at 7:38 AM
'ChatGPT’s interpretation of contested memoryscapes favours the voice of current governments, capitalism and the far-right'. Our new article, led by Tania Gonzáles Cantera, is out. It is an outcome of Tania's visit to the #HeritageMindsLab @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social last yr doi.org/10.1080/1352...
Reposted by Julia Leser
Is “diversity taboo” or is this a segregationist regime that hopes to reinstate open white supremacy.
It is absolutely wild (and fundamentally dishonest) that media is still reaching for euphemism instead of simply calling this racism.
It is absolutely wild (and fundamentally dishonest) that media is still reaching for euphemism instead of simply calling this racism.
In Trump’s Ideal Picture of America, Diversity Is Taboo
www.nytimes.com
August 21, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Is “diversity taboo” or is this a segregationist regime that hopes to reinstate open white supremacy.
It is absolutely wild (and fundamentally dishonest) that media is still reaching for euphemism instead of simply calling this racism.
It is absolutely wild (and fundamentally dishonest) that media is still reaching for euphemism instead of simply calling this racism.
Reposted by Julia Leser
one of the most infuriating parts of the Epstein story is over the same years that young women went to police and reported assault, and were ignored, law enforcement is pushing this idea that they need massive grants and manpower to rescue thousands of girls they say don’t even know they’re victims
August 5, 2025 at 5:21 PM
one of the most infuriating parts of the Epstein story is over the same years that young women went to police and reported assault, and were ignored, law enforcement is pushing this idea that they need massive grants and manpower to rescue thousands of girls they say don’t even know they’re victims
Reposted by Julia Leser
"[Gaza] exposes what is fundamentally wrong today: a persistent inability to recognize every human being as equal and deserving of dignity and life, whatever their beliefs, skin color, or religious affiliation."
thank you @joelleabirached.bsky.social for this painful but essential piece
thank you @joelleabirached.bsky.social for this painful but essential piece
Gaza and the End of History - Boston Review
The apocalyptic scale of death and destruction lays bare the contradictions at the heart of the liberal international order.
www.bostonreview.net
August 2, 2025 at 1:17 PM
"[Gaza] exposes what is fundamentally wrong today: a persistent inability to recognize every human being as equal and deserving of dignity and life, whatever their beliefs, skin color, or religious affiliation."
thank you @joelleabirached.bsky.social for this painful but essential piece
thank you @joelleabirached.bsky.social for this painful but essential piece
Reposted by Julia Leser
We live in an era of democratic backsliding. But the terminology of "backsliding" isn't up to the task of making sense of the deep crisis of liberal democracy around the world. I've just finished a working paper that lays out what I think is going on.
tl;dr it's about the state and society
🧵
tl;dr it's about the state and society
🧵
State, Society, and the Politics of Democratic Backsliding
Recent scholarship on democratic backsliding has focused on measuring its global prevalence and identifying the causal processes and mechanisms that produce or
papers.ssrn.com
July 23, 2025 at 2:10 PM
We live in an era of democratic backsliding. But the terminology of "backsliding" isn't up to the task of making sense of the deep crisis of liberal democracy around the world. I've just finished a working paper that lays out what I think is going on.
tl;dr it's about the state and society
🧵
tl;dr it's about the state and society
🧵
Reposted by Julia Leser
Japan’s Long-Dominant Party Suffers Election Defeat as Voters Swing Right
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/w...
Japan’s Long-Dominant Party Suffers Election Defeat as Voters Swing Right
www.nytimes.com
July 21, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Japan’s Long-Dominant Party Suffers Election Defeat as Voters Swing Right
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/w...
Reposted by Julia Leser
🔔 Reminder: Interested in developing your research project at our Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities? The KWI International & Thyssen@KWI Fellowships for April-September 2026 are open for applications! Make sure to submit by 29 Aug 2025. 🔗 www.kulturwissenschaften.de/cfa-kwi-fell...
July 14, 2025 at 11:19 AM
🔔 Reminder: Interested in developing your research project at our Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities? The KWI International & Thyssen@KWI Fellowships for April-September 2026 are open for applications! Make sure to submit by 29 Aug 2025. 🔗 www.kulturwissenschaften.de/cfa-kwi-fell...
Reposted by Julia Leser
Wild.
„In ganz Berlin müssen wegen der Kürzungen etwa 25.000 Studienplätze abgebaut werden sowie dutzende Professuren.“
(Das betrifft die Kids, die mit Pandemie Schule hatten und jetzt zur Bundeswehr sollen. Und unsere Renten bezahlen.)
„In ganz Berlin müssen wegen der Kürzungen etwa 25.000 Studienplätze abgebaut werden sowie dutzende Professuren.“
(Das betrifft die Kids, die mit Pandemie Schule hatten und jetzt zur Bundeswehr sollen. Und unsere Renten bezahlen.)
Technische Universität Berlin streicht Professuren: Wegen Haushaltskürzung fallen etliche Stellen weg
Zahlreiche Fachgebiete und Studienplätze fallen unter dem derzeitigen Kürzungsdruck an der TU Berlin weg. Auch die Verwaltung wird nicht geschont.
www.tagesspiegel.de
July 13, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Wild.
„In ganz Berlin müssen wegen der Kürzungen etwa 25.000 Studienplätze abgebaut werden sowie dutzende Professuren.“
(Das betrifft die Kids, die mit Pandemie Schule hatten und jetzt zur Bundeswehr sollen. Und unsere Renten bezahlen.)
„In ganz Berlin müssen wegen der Kürzungen etwa 25.000 Studienplätze abgebaut werden sowie dutzende Professuren.“
(Das betrifft die Kids, die mit Pandemie Schule hatten und jetzt zur Bundeswehr sollen. Und unsere Renten bezahlen.)
PROOFS!!
What happens to cultural institutions like museums in times of right-wing populism? Our paper, which provides answers based on a comparative study across Europe, will soon be published in Museum & Society (open access).
What happens to cultural institutions like museums in times of right-wing populism? Our paper, which provides answers based on a comparative study across Europe, will soon be published in Museum & Society (open access).
July 11, 2025 at 1:19 PM
PROOFS!!
What happens to cultural institutions like museums in times of right-wing populism? Our paper, which provides answers based on a comparative study across Europe, will soon be published in Museum & Society (open access).
What happens to cultural institutions like museums in times of right-wing populism? Our paper, which provides answers based on a comparative study across Europe, will soon be published in Museum & Society (open access).
Reposted by Julia Leser
Humiliating the supposedly weaker: For a long time, such behaviour was morally & politically unacceptable. In the meantime, it has become a source of ✨pleasure✨ for some - without shame or guilt. Listen to David Keen @lsepress.bsky.social on the power of shame next Thursday:
🔔 tinyurl.com/2uh5mp9u
🔔 tinyurl.com/2uh5mp9u
July 10, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Humiliating the supposedly weaker: For a long time, such behaviour was morally & politically unacceptable. In the meantime, it has become a source of ✨pleasure✨ for some - without shame or guilt. Listen to David Keen @lsepress.bsky.social on the power of shame next Thursday:
🔔 tinyurl.com/2uh5mp9u
🔔 tinyurl.com/2uh5mp9u
Reposted by Julia Leser
Quite a strong final statement: "Descriptive research is important and it is a pity that the general obsession with causal estimates disincentivizes researchers from attempting to publish careful and detailed description."
Local reactions to wolf attacks in Germany are not powerful enough to influence the election decisions of many voters www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The East in wolf’s clothing. Wolf attacks correlate with but do not cause far-right voting
The resurgence of wolves in Germany has sparked intense debate, particularly in rural areas where wolf attacks on livestock are frequent. Prior resear…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 9, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Quite a strong final statement: "Descriptive research is important and it is a pity that the general obsession with causal estimates disincentivizes researchers from attempting to publish careful and detailed description."