Hello, welcome to this episode of the Slavic Connexion! I’m your guest host, Eliza [introduce myself] 
Today I’ll be talking to Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss. Dr. Miller-Idriss is an international expert on far right youth movements, and a professor at American University in Washington D.C., where she directs the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab, or PERIL. Her newest book is Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right, which discusses how far-right movements are recruiting new members in everyday interactions and how we can spot and stop the process of radicalization. Dr. Miller-Idriss, thanks so much for joining me for this episode!

Beginning: did you ever dream of doing something like this?

You say that the transition to adulthood for vulnerable and at-risk youth has always been a focus of your research – would you be able to tell us a little bit about how you went from focusing on post-educational opportunities for American students to studying extremist recruitment tactics?

I’d like to talk about how the white supremacist movement, or movements, are changing. Heightened immigration is just one factor that’s contributing to significant increases in cultural diversity in European countries – for example, Germany. More than a quarter of Germany’s population today has a migrant background – since 2019, there’s been a 2.1% increase in population with migrant backgrounds, which is the smallest annual increase since 2011. How has the German far right’s rhetoric changed with a shifting cultural landscape?

We’re in an embattled political era globally – the Internet and social media has made it far easier for information to spread infinitely faster, and for people to publicize their views. What kinds of global events are creating reactions in local far right scenes today?

Something I’d love to talk about is how individuals get drawn to far-right movements – not the “how” of who recruits them, or what their meetings are like, but the “how” of why this would appeal to individuals in the first place. What are some traits that could make individuals particularly susceptible to white supremacist ideology?

The term “at-risk youth” might make some people balk if applied to borderline white supremacists – they might say “no, they are the risk.” What’s your opinion on this line of thinking – that there are simply some bad apples in the bunch, and that some people are more inclined towards white supremacist extremism?

White supremacist movements tend to be a male-heavy space, with views that reflect that – you’ve noted that the incel and “meninist” communities sometimes overlap with white supremacist and racist ideologies. Has being a woman affected your experiences and interactions with the scene and subjects of your research in ways that you can identify?


I’ve only been working on my project for a few months, and I feel like it’s affected me so strongly. It’s made me a little more cynical, and I’ve seen some pretty scary things online, but again – that’s me speaking with less than a year of experience, and none in the field. I’d love to hear about how your research has affected you.

You’ve worked with Hilary Pilkington, one of the co-authors of Russia’s Skinheads, several times. One thing that struck me in Russia’s Skinheads was the frank admission that, even when the people you’re studying have such polarizing views and actions, it’s still very possible to form deep emotional connections with them. Has your work ever elicited a surprising or unexpected emotional response from you?

My personal research is on the shifting definition of whiteness in European white power movements, and how Slavs are trying to gain legitimacy in a narrative that’s previously been dominated by those who claim pure Nordic descent. You have extensive experience with the German far right, who long have been considered the authorities in this movement. Do you think they’re willing to share the spotlight?

Denis Kapustin, the Russian founder of activewear brand White Rex and the Дух Воина (“Spirit of the Warrior”) ММА tournament series, has worked in Germany to help found MMA organization Kampf der Nibelungen. Can you speak on the German white supremacists’ opinion of Kapustin? Do you think that he has any legitimacy with them, or are they allowing him to play because he’s furthering their aims?

I’m a Gen Z-er. Starting a few years before I was born, I’d propose the existence of a “super-generation”, as it were – those of us who were born and grew up in the era of terrorist violence. I’d argue that to some extent, all of us are traumatized by it regardless of personal experience -- I think it manifests pretty differently in accordance with our political beliefs, but most of us are desensitized to a certain degree. It’s not really shocking anymore, unless it happens next door. Would you say that in the modern world, normalization of violence has made it easier for individuals to drift into right-wing extremism?

What’s a common misconception you’d like to combat about far right movements?