Political spaces under pressure: Michael Krell as guest speaker in Munich

Michael Krell, Research Associate at the Chair of Human Geography, will be a guest at an event on February 24 in Munich on the topic of Political Spaces under Pressure. When right-wing extremists shape rural and local politics.

The event is being organized by "Neuland & Gestalten", a Munich-based provider of democracy projects. The event will address the following question:

"In media reports, at kitchen tables and in many a debate, geographical classifications are often used to explain political developments: right-wing extremist parties and ways of thinking are an "East German phenomenon", they tend to exist in "the countryside" and politics at "local level" is threatened by them. At first glance, this type of categorization may seem helpful in grasping political phenomena, but what does it really say? What is it like to live and work in rural areas at a local level, far away from the spotlight of the big media houses? How does civil society and political cooperation and engagement work when radical right-wing forces take up space, destroying protected areas and pushing back democratic forces?

Human geographer Michael Krell and Hannes Müller from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation will be discussing the interplay between spatiality and right-wing radicalism in rural and local areas. Michael Krell's research focuses on the political geographies of the radical right and their effects; Hannes Müller is an expert on rural areas."