Book launch and discussion with author Dr. Michael C. Zeller

Social movement research has grown rapidly in recent decades. Yet the greatest share of research is tilted towards mobilisation and the tumult of movement activism. Less attention is paid to the downward slope of activity, to demobilisation. This book presents a comparative study of large far-right demonstration campaigns in Austria, England, and Germany over the last three decades (1990-2020). Demonstrations are a central tactic of many movements, particularly the far right. Studying the campaigns built around them not only helps to understand demobilisation, but also offers insights into a persistent threat to democratic societies. Using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to analyse dozens of cases, the book reveals diverse patterns of factors that cause far-right campaigns to demobilise and, going further, uses process-tracing techniques to identify mechanisms underlying these patterns. The book thereby deals with an urgent phenomenon, far-right activism, and contributes to an underdeveloped area of social movement theory. Book

Dr Michael C. Zeller is Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institut für Politikwissenschaft at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Central European University in 2023. His research focuses on political violence and far-right socio-politics, using mainly qualitative methods such as qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) and case study designs. He is a member of the Radicalisation Awareness Network Policy Support (RAN PS) and the ERCOR Researchers’ Directory. He teaches courses on far-right socio-politics, political violence, and social movements, as well as graduate-level methods courses.

The book launch and discussion will take place on 17 November 2026 from 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm at Liebermeisterstraße 18, Seminar Room 315.