Talking ‘about’ the far right as researchers: between responsibility, safety and neoliberal success

Abstract

While much work on the far right has understandably focused on explaining its rise, there is growing interest in the implications of how these actors are framed in public, media and academic discourses. Taking the concept of talking ‘about’ the far right to refer to how such groups and ideas are discursively constructed, this article explores the challenges researchers face when communicating their work. Considering the pressures of the neoliberal academic environment alongside our ethical duty and personal safety, we argue that the former can encourage harmful practices. This article maps out such tensions within the UK context, emphasising how neoliberal pressures of competition and impact (exemplified by the Research Excellence Framework) shape engagement with funding, publication and impact. When our framing can legitimise the far right and dissemination activities can cause risk for researchers, minoritised communities are most likely to suffer the negative effects.