Enemy Imaginaries: A Case Study of the Far Right in Canada

Abstract

Background: Social media and digital technology play a central role in amplifying the potential harms of the far right. Analysis: The concept of enemy imaginaries is developed to map the digital and social media practices of far-right actors and groups in their antagonistic participation with and against a liberal, multicultural, globalist imagined community. Analysis focuses on a dramatic clash at a People's Party of Canada event in Hamilton, Ontario, during the 2019 federal election. Conclusion and implications: Disparate far-right groups can momentarily crystallize around a particular event to define new nationalist objects that are symbolic of their networked and mediated fight against an imagined enemy.