WCCA Reading Group Series (Rescheduled): How Fascism Sells Belonging
Join us for our monthly reading group series on Monday October 19th at 6pm-7.30pm BST.
Taking place over six monthly sessions (held over Zoom), this series is about fascism and its grip on our communities across the world. We will explore it through a social lens, asking how and why fascist ideologies gain power by appealing to people’s values and sense of morality.
Above all, this series looks at fascism from a relational perspective – we will trace how fascism takes hold through our relationships and everyday ties, providing some people with a sense of belonging and purpose whilst turning them against the broader community. In doing so, we will be able to identify the root causes of why people are drawn to fascist ideologies and find ways to counter that support.
For our first (rescheduled) session we will read Umberto Eco’s Ur-Fascism, and discuss how and why fascism creates a sense of purpose and belonging. For many people, the pull towards fascist ideologies stems from a deep desire to feel accepted and a part of ‘something bigger’, something they feel is missing from their everyday lives. But how does this happen? How do fascist groups make themselves appealing and build spaces that pull people in?