Abstract
Fascism has returned—not necessarily as a regime type, but as a central concept in political discourse. This editorial examines how the term “fascism” has been used to characterize Trumpism. While some historians have cautioned against simplistic analogies, other commentators and scholars insist that Trump embodies core fascist traits. Conceptual history provides a lens to analyze how fascism functions not only as an analytical category but also as a Kampfbegriff—a weaponized term in political struggle. The question emerges, however, whether the concept of fascism, even when justified as a necessary weapon in the current situation, does not ultimately risk preventing an appreciation of what is novel about Trumpism, and of its entanglement with a contemporary “postmodern” moment, arguably very different from the modern seedbed of mid-twentieth-century fascism.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Contributions to the History of Concepts |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-21 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| ISSN | 1807-9326 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2024 |
Keywords
- Kampfbegriff
- Trump
- Trumpism
- US Election 2024
- democracy
- fascism
- postmodernity