Abstract

Over the past decade the alt-right has grown in prominence, yet scholarly research on the movement remains scanty. This ethnography of an alt-right group in Montreal aims to help fill the gap in the scholarship. I examine the unique ethical and methodological challenges involved in studying the movement and map the alt-right in relation to the far right more generally, using the political ecosystem of Quebec to illustrate far-right sub-groupings. I build on ethnographic data to theorize about masculinities within the movement with a particular focus on gendered hierarchy-building among movement adherents. I explore the connections between the alt-right and online male-supremacism, concluding that male-supremacism constitutes one path into the alt-right. Internal divisions within the alt-right are mapped and theorized as two broad camps in dialogic tension. These camps are understood to be split between more liberal and more fascist perspectives. Ethnographic data is used to illustrate these tensions as they played out in the Montreal group. The liberal/fascist split is explored with reference to different class positions among informants, and each camp is examined in historical and geographic context. I conclude with a reflexive exploration of the motivations of alt-right adherents and a series of recommendations moving forward.