Cecily Bateman

Research Interests:

1. Classical Reception

2. Right-Wing Extremism

3. Interdisciplinary studies (Classics, History, Politics)

4. Critical Theory, particularly Disability Theory

My PhD focuses on how the post-war far-right have utilised, developed and deviated from the tactics of fascist regimes and pre-war right-wing ideologies in constructing their own extremist classics-informed ideology. Current scholarship on extremist reception seems to leap from the mid-20th century fascist regimes to post-2016 with little acknowledgement of the intervening developments. This compromises our ability to understand the evolution of ideas currently in circulation, situate them within historical context, and counter their virulence. My thesis will examine how the far-right have used classics in constructing a historically constant white identity, with associated values and genealogy, far-right use of classical philosophers and their reception, and the use of classics to create a concept of ‘heroic individualism’. I hope through this thesis to not only contribute to classical scholarship, but also to aid in activist efforts to counter the far-right today.