New publication: "Das Ende rechter Räume"

The collective book "Das Ende rechter Räume. Zu Territorialisierungen der radikalen Rechten" was published today in collaboration with Michael Krell, Research Associate at the Chair of Human Geography and part of the Terra-R collective of authors. The volume is published as a print and open access version by Verlag Westfälisches Dampfboot.

Press release on the publication of the book 'Das Ende rechter Räume - Zu Territorialisierungen der radikalen Rechten'

Author collective Terra-R, February 2025

An authoritarian and radical right is on the rise in many parts of the world. Their mobilizations and projects are becoming increasingly normalized in political public spheres and relations. In many places, the term 'right-wing spaces' is used. Sometimes this vague term refers to local claims to power by the radical right, sometimes it is used as a blanket interpretation to pit the 'democratic West' against the 'brown East', the 'liberal city' against the 'left-behind country'. The recently published book Das Ende rechter Räume (Westfälisches Dampfboot, 2025) makes suggestions for a differentiated view - it seeks to engage with the AfD and neo-comradeships, in parliaments and street protests, in everyday spaces and social media.

According to the central thesis of the book, right-wing spatialization cannot be captured in a simple 'here' versus 'there'. If the AfD's electoral successes are particularly high in the eastern German states and rural areas, this is not a final judgment, but must be the starting point for a differentiated analysis of local conditions and hegemonies. At the same time, a broader view must be taken of similar areas in western German regions and cities. The radical right is less to be understood as an external power that invades a region or neighborhood from outside and achieves political hegemony there. Rather, traditional attitudes, social structures, economic conditions and degrees of political organization must be questioned. Furthermore, talking about 'right-wing spaces' or 'right-wing spatialization' blocks the view of people who oppose right-wing hegemonic efforts and stand up for democratic conditions. Right-wing spatialization thus occurs through multi-layered practices in which radical right-wing actors are just as involved as institutional structures that allow or even support them, media publics that adopt their themes or people who do not oppose them on the ground.

Against this background, Das Ende rechter Räume describes right-wing 'territorialization' as a multifaceted and contested process that always takes place in concrete interactions and in the context of social conditions. Based on a variety of case studies, particularly from the German-speaking context, the collective of authors sheds light on everyday ways of dealing with people as well as the great importance of emotions and affectively charged ideologies. How are people integrated into right-wing territorializations through emotional appeal - the spread of fear, but also promises of happiness and salvation? What imaginary worlds does the radical right spread, supported by various traditional and social media? What role does the concrete appearance of people in public spaces play in strengthening or weakening right-wing territorialization?

The 13-member Terra-R collective of authors emerged from the DFG-funded research network 'Territorializations of the Radical Right', which has been in existence since 2020. The aim of the network is to bundle human geography research on the radical right in German-speaking countries and to deepen the academic debate. At the same time, Terra-R aims to contribute to broader social and political debates and support critical voices on the current rise of the radical right.

Expertise and contact

Members of the authors' collective are available for analyses, background discussions, reports and interviews. We are happy to put you in touch with publishers for review requests. Thank you for your interest.

Contact:
Website: Terra R - Network Territorializations of the Radical Right

Book The end of right-wing spaces

Autor*innenkollektiv Terra-R (2025): Das Ende rechter Räume: Zu Territorialisierungen der radikalen Rechten. Westfälisches Dampfboot. Münster. 274 pages, 30 € https://www.dampfboot-verlag.de/de/product/das-ende-rechter-raeume

Public dates for the book

Book release
13.03.2025, 7 pm
Leipzig, Pöge House

At the book launch, members of the authors' collective will talk about the book and its development process and discuss its potentials and limitations - with Hannah Eitel (speaker, weiterdenken - Heinrich Böll Foundation Saxony), Esther Lehnert (educator, Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin) and Philipp Oswalt (architect, University of Kassel).

Further dates from May in Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Zurich and Bern will follow. Updates follow at www.terra-r.net