„EMMELO – European Men, Masculinity, and Extremist Leadership Online“ (Horizon Europe, 2025-2028)
- Project period: 05/2025-04/2028
- Funding: Horizon Europe
- Consortium: University of Galway (lead); Université de Bordeaux; Uppsala universitet; Univerzita Mateja Bela; European Alternatives; Georg-August-Universität Göttingen; Institute for Strategic Dialogue
- PI in Göttingen:Prof Andrea D. Bührmann
- Project contact in Göttingen: emmelo [at] uni-goettingen.de
About the project
The European Men, Masculinity, and Extremist Leadership Online (EMMELO) project is a research project funded by Horizon Europe, which started on May 1, 2025. It investigates the dynamics of extreme right-wing constructions of masculinity in the European online context. The goal is to develop a deeper understanding of these phenomena and provide concrete, diversity-sensitive analysis and action tools to effectively counter corresponding ideologies.The project is coordinated by the University of Galway in Ireland and brings together an interdisciplinary consortium of researchers and practitioners from eight European countries. Case studies from Ireland, Sweden, France, Hungary, Germany, and Slovakia will be examined.
The Göttingen subproject
The subproject at the University of Göttingen focuses on the pluralization and differentiation of extreme right-wing images of masculinity and combines approaches from reflexive diversity research with gender-reflective research on right-wing extremism. The starting point is the observation of a new masculinity boom (Sauer/Penz 2023) with a focus on gender- and sexuality-related dimensions of right-wing extremism in Germany and German-speaking regions. Research focuses on struggles around hegemonic masculinity (Connell 1995; Lehnert 2024) within the extreme right, which are located in the context of struggles for belonging in a postcolonial, postfascist, and postsocialist society.We analyze continuities and persistences as well as empirical-practical changes in extreme right-wing constructions of masculinity. These arise, for example, in the context of contemporary strategies of masculinism and right-wing gender ideology, and specifically in the context of extreme right-wing online communities. At the center are questions about how gender-related processes of identification and differentiation are produced and made effective in the field of intersectional boundary-drawing – such as authoritarian ethnic nationalism, racism, anti-migration sentiment, anti-feminism, and queerphobia.
Our methodological approach is based on a mixed-methods design with several analysis levels. We work with
- semi-structured interviews
- expert interviews
- as well as critical discourse analysis .
We look forward to the dialogue with colleagues from research and practice as well as with all those who are interested in the topic. Together, we want to contribute to the development of new perspectives and diversity-sensitive approaches to dealing with extreme right-wing online dynamics of masculinity.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.