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World Leisure Journal Special Issue: Leisure and the Far Right: Critical Interdisciplinary Interventions

Abstract deadline: 15DEC2025
Manuscript deadline: 17APR2026

In less than a year, the current US administration has taken significant steps to consolidate and institutionalize far-right authoritarian power. Far from being an exception, however, Donald Trump is in the company of a long list of political leaders, including Orbán in Hungary, Meloni in Italy, Milei in Argentina, Modi in India, and Bukele in El Salvador. This ultraconservative wave is indeed transnational, and it goes beyond electoral gains: in what can be described as a Gramscian turn, these movements, leaders, and political parties are effectively disputing the terrain of culture and common sense (Ravecca et al, 2022; Ravecca et al, 2024). This means that a narrow conception of politics, which only focuses on formal institutions, cannot grasp the multidimensionality of this new political landscape (Ravecca, 2019). In fact, the production of cultural artifacts like videos, images, and narratives, and their circulation on social media, are having a significant impact on the quality of the public conversation and on the everyday life of large sectors of the population. In this context, it can be argued that leisure, broadly understood, is at the core of far-right discourse and practice. For this reason, global leisure studies are particularly well-placed to engage with this complex and urgent landscape.  

While most research has focused on how leisure can be a positive force for change, inclusion, and belonging (e.g., Fortune et al., 2021, among many others), scholarship in the field also shows how leisure activities can be a vehicle for hate (Spracklen, 2013; Woolley & Luger, 2023), prejudice (Mowatt, 2018), surveillance (Rose et al., 2023), and violence (Mowatt, 2012). In complement to feminist (Henderson, 1990; Shaw, 1985), racial justice (Bixler & Floyd, 1997; Floyd et al., 1994), and social justice (Arai & Kivel, 2009; Mair, 2011; Parry et al., 2013) research in leisure studies, researchers like Rasul Mowatt (2012, 2017, 2018), A.J. Veal (2021), DJ Willams (2009, 2017), and Karl Spracklen (2013, 2015) have long called for leisure research to illuminate groups, activities, and settings that are uncomfortable and even dangerous – including those associated with the far right.

Now more than ever, we need to heed these calls and turn the focus of critical leisure studies, along with the theoretical and explanatory power of this discipline, toward critical inquiry of the ways far-right ideologies are couched (and cloaked) in leisure practices. Far-right scholars have engaged with these important topics from a variety of perspectives and across disciplines. These include the development of collective identity (Devries, 2021; Leman-Langlois et al., 2024; Mondon, 2025; Yoshida & Demelius, 2024), the role of women (Dickel & Evolvi, 2023; Ebner & Davey, 2019; Gordon, 2018; O’Brien, 2018; Proctor, 2022), narratives of gender supremacy (Copland, 2021; Koulouris, 2018; Pearson, 2019; Winter, 2019), the geographies of far-right ideology (Luger, 2022), and masculinities (Christley, 2021; Cousineau, 2021; Linders et al., 2022; Roose et al., 2022). However, this work has been done almost exclusively outside of leisure studies, which implies a loss of knowledge. This special issue aims to open a space for leisure scholars to contribute their insight, research, and wisdom on the landscape-altering forces and movements of the far right.

Papers will examine how leisure forms an integral part of far-right narratives and practices. This encompasses a wide range of possibilities – from exploring the recruiting power of supremacist ideology woven into leisure settings and communities, to analyzing localized movements with transnational implications, such as neo-Nazi music cultures and festivals, combat sport clubs, and gaming communities. Thus, manuscripts can address, among other topics: 

Frontiers Research Topic: Advancing Social Cohesion and Violence Prevention through Sport-Based Interventions

Manuscript Summary deadline: 13APR2026
Full Manuscript deadline: 24SEP2026

The call invites both theoretical and empirical contributions that examine how sport-based interventions can strengthen social cohesion, prevent violence (including violent extremism), and support peacebuilding across diverse contexts.

Sport for development and peace, particularly its intersection with violence prevention and deradicalization, has garnered increasing scholarly and policy interest over the past decade. Despite mounting evidence of sports’ potential to contribute not just to individual well-being, but to wider social goals, communities worldwide continue to grapple with the persistent threats of violent extremism and radicalization. Traditional security-oriented approaches, though crucial, often neglect the complex social, psychological, and environmental factors that underlie extremist behavior, leading to a growing demand for more integrative, preventative, and community-centered responses. Recent research points to the unique position of sports in fostering inclusion, pro-social values, constructive identity formation, and alternative narratives, all of which may function as protective factors against violent extremism, particularly among at-risk youth. However, the evidence base remains fragmented, with ongoing debates regarding the underlying mechanisms, contextual effectiveness, and possible unintended outcomes of sport-centric interventions.  

This Research Topic aims to enhance scientific and practical understanding of how sport-based interventions can help prevent radicalization, counter violent extremism, and promote social cohesion in diverse and often fragile contexts. By advancing theoretical and empirical work, the research seeks to answer key questions: What are the pathways through which sport contributes to deradicalization and peacebuilding? How do individual, community, and structural variables mediate these effects? What practices and policies optimize outcomes while minimizing risks? We encourage contributions that examine the multifaceted impacts of sport, including its potential to foster resilience, facilitate intergroup dialogue, promote positive youth development, and support the integration or reintegration of individuals exposed to radical ideologies.

Focusing on the use of sport in violent extremism prevention and social cohesion, this Research Topic welcomes work that examines both its transformative potential and its limitations. We invite analyses at the individual, community, organizational, and policy levels across various cultural, geographic, and political settings. To gather further insights in these areas, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Case studies of effective and challenging sports-based programs for deradicalization and social cohesion
• Community sports programs in conflict-affected and divided societies
• Gender-sensitive approaches to sports for peace and violence prevention
• Identity formation, resilience, and resistance to extremist discourse through sports
• Methodological innovations in evaluating sports interventions for peacebuilding
• Pathways linking sports participation and the reduction of violent extremism
• Policy frameworks and partnerships facilitating sports-based violence prevention

This is a valuable opportunity for scholars working at the intersection of sport, social cohesion, and violence prevention to contribute to this growing field and engage with an international network of researchers.