Fascism as a style of life. Community life and violence in a neofascist movement in Italy

Abstract: In the European context, where the rise of right-wing movements and parties indicates the emergence of an integral Europe, Italy represents a country where the fascist past grants these political formations significant identitarian se- curity. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted with a contemporary neo- fascist movement called CasaPound active in Italy, this article proposes to take seriously the activists’ definition of themselves as “third-millennium fascists.” This article examines the network that CasaPound has built around its movement to an- alyze the presence fascist political culture currently maintains. Following militants’ interpretations of fascist ideology and practice, which oscillates between violence and death on one side and emotions and community on the other, third-millen- nium fascism appears to be a style of life deeply rooted in violent acts and death.