Research, Revisionists and the Radical Right

In recent years students of extreme right politics have called on political scientists to adopt an actor-orientated approach. Despite such calls, scholars remain reluctant to engage directly with party members, activists and leaders on an empirical basis. Implicit in the literature is the view that right-wing extremists are unwilling to engage with academic research. Drawing from a study focused on activists throughout England and Wales this article argues that such assumptions are misplaced. Furthermore, the findings of recent actor-orientated studies not only stand in marked contrast to ‘traditional’ interpretations of right-wing extremists but also provide a far richer understanding of the internal movement ‘life’.