Youth (Re)Producing Authoritarianism and Fascism via Instagram: Experiences in Canada and the United States

The resurgence of authoritarian and fascist trends across the world is not surprising anymore. While there are various approaches to understand the resurgence of fascism or neo-fascism, little research has paid attention to the ways in which authoritarianism and fascism may be appropriated and promoted by young people.

The talk will address the ways in which some young men and women in the United States and Canada, using Instagram, produce and reproduce discourses on — and an allegiance to — authoritarianism and fascism under a framework characterized by settler-colonialism, Othering and racialization.

About the speaker

Alejandro Hernández is an assistant professor at Concordia University. He holds a PhD in sociology with a specialization in political economy from Carleton University. Alejandro has ample experience in migration, economic and labour market integration, and youth research, policy evaluation, teaching and education management in Canada and Mexico.

He was awarded with a Vanier Scholar, the Government of Canada’s most prestigious international award for doctoral students, among other awards, fellowships and prizes. Alejandro was a member of the 2021 Nomination Committee for the newly minted Lorne Tepperman Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Award of the Canadian Sociological Association. In addition, he was a Board of Directors member, Communications Chair and Elections Officer of the Canadian Association for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (2016-19). He was also Chair of the Committee for Refugee Issues and member of the Advisory Search Committee for Vice-President (Research and International) at Carleton University.