On March 15, 2024, Daniel Mullis new book "The Rise of the Right in Times of Crisis. The Regression of the Center" (Ger.: Der Aufstieg der Rechten in Krisenzeiten. Die Regression der Mitte) was published by Reclam-Verlag. In it, the author summarizes his research of the past six years.
Two central questions of the publication are: Why are right-wing and far-right movements so successful in times of crisis? And what are the processes in the so-called center of the society that make right-wing narratives and evaluations connectable? As part of his DFG project, he conducted interviews with residents of peripheral neighborhoods in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main, where the AfD has been strong in recent years. "What makes the far right attractive is the offer of not having to change despite all the crises and the need for ecological transformation," says Daniel Mullis, summarizing his findings. At the same time, he goes beyond a description of the current situation and asks what role individualization and the neoliberalization of society play and how progressive politics can succeed in uncertain times.
Numerous readings are planned to mark the publication of the book: Daniel Mullis will present the publication during the Leipzig Book Fair on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 6 p.m. at Leipzig City Library. On March 22, 2024, he will discuss his research findings at a public recording of the Deutschlandfunk podcast "Systemfragen" at the Leipzig Book Fair. Further events and readings are planned including the Karl Marx bookshop in Frankfurt am Main. On March 15, 2024, the Frankfurter Rundschau published an interview with Daniel Mullis in which he talks with Pit von Bebenburg about his book (in German).