<
https://www.salon.com/2024/01/21/never-mind-hitler-late-fascism-is-here-and-it-doesnt-need-hugo-boss-uniforms/>
"Donald Trump’s name appears only a couple of times in “Late Fascism,” the
dense, concise and intellectually ambitious new book from Italian philosopher
and political theorist Alberto Toscano. That’s obviously a considered decision,
and there are more than enough not-very-veiled references to Trump and the MAGA
“movement” to make clear that Toscano understands the symbolic importance of
America’s homegrown would-be dictator to the phenomenon he’s trying to
delineate.
For that matter, the notorious European political leaders of the 1930s with
whom Trump is frequently compared — you know who I mean, the strutting Italian
peacock and the little Austrian with the ‘stache — don’t play starring roles in
“Late Fascism” either. That’s partly because Toscano is more concerned with
political and philosophical theories of fascism and anti-fascism, with the
backstage machinery, so to speak, rather than the actors facing the crowd.
But beyond that, it’s because Toscano’s central argument — as I read this
admittedly challenging work — is that fascism should be understood as a
“dynamic” or a “process” unfolding throughout recent history, not as a
“singular event” associated with charismatic leaders, mass rallies and
fashion-forward uniforms that emerged during a global economic crisis and then
was defeated, only to resurface unexpectedly in the 21st century."
Via Frederick Wilson II.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
