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Building the fascist body: combat sports, violence and masculinity in far-right extremism
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Child and Youth Studies.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3605-8664
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Child and Youth Studies.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1922-7649
Number of Authors: 22026 (English)In: Critical Studies on Terrorism, ISSN 1753-9153, E-ISSN 1753-9161, Vol. 19, no 3, p. 621-646Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This article examines how the Swedish branch of Active Clubs (Aktivklubb Sverige, AKS) “builds” the “fascist body” through social media communication. Drawing on digital ethnographic analysis of seven Telegram channels, we analyse how AKS builds idealised young white male activist bodies through three interconnected processes: regeneration, comparison, and cultivation. AKS positions itself as a youth movement revitalising the far right through physically fit, disciplined bodies that symbolise national palingenesis. These bodies are constructed relationally, systematically differentiated from “inferior” masculinities – older activists, politicians, police, military personnel, LGBTQ+ individuals, and “ordinary” men – whose bodies are portrayed as fat, immobile, and emasculated. Through weightlifting, MMA training, and organised tournaments, AKS cultivates what we identify as the fascist equilibrium: male bodies that are simultaneously aesthetically compelling and kinetically functional. This dual emphasis recuperates historical fascist ideals of the “New Man” while adapting them to contemporary fitness culture and digital contexts. We argue that for AKS, the personal project of building a fit body becomes inseparable from political activism, as physically powerful bodies serve as both symbols of movement strength and proof of combat readiness for anticipated racial conflict.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2026. Vol. 19, no 3, p. 621-646
Keywords [en]
Active Clubs, embodiment, far right, fascism, masculinity, mixed martial arts
National Category
Sociology (Excluding Social Work, Social Anthropology, Demography and Criminology) Child and Youth Studies Gender Studies
Research subject
Child and Youth Studies
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-254184DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2026.2655511ISI: 001735398700001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105035175941OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-254184DiVA, id: diva2:2052816
Projects
Youth debunking the gendered arguments of far-right extremism (YOU-DARE)
Funder
EU, Horizon Europe, 101178147Available from: 2026-04-14 Created: 2026-04-14 Last updated: 2026-08-25

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Gottzén, LucasSwitzer, Ryan

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