Introduction to “Right-Wing Activism in Asia: Cold War Legacies, Geopolitics, and Democratic Erosion”*

• Published date: 01 September 2021
• DOI: 10.1177/00323292211033081
• Date: 01 September 2021
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/00323292211033081

Politics & Society

2021, Vol. 49(3) 303 –310

© The Author(s) 2021

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DOI: 10.1177/00323292211033081

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Article

Introduction to “Right-Wing

Activism in Asia: Cold War

Legacies, Geopolitics, and

Democratic Erosion”*

Yoonkyung Lee

University of Toronto

Abstract

This essay introduces four articles that form a special issue of Politics & Society titled

“Right-Wing Activism in Asia: Cold War Legacies, Geopolitics, and Democratic

Erosion.” The articles focus on Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. These three Asian

countries present important cases to generate critical comparative insights about the

patterns of Far Right mobilization, for their geopolitical histories provide common

ground while institutional variations set distinctive conditions. Most importantly, all

of them were shaped by the particularly sharp conflicts of the Cold War in the

region, and the articles in this issue demonstrate how this legacy has generated

illiberal conditions in these countries today.

Keywords

Far Right, Cold War, geopolitics, democratic erosion, Asia

Corresponding Author:

Yoonkyung Lee, Sociology, University of Toronto, 725 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON M5S 2J4, Canada.

Email: yoonkyung.lee@utoronto.ca

*This is one of four articles and an introduction that form a special issue of Politics & Society titled

“Right-Wing Activism in Asia: Cold War Legacies, Geopolitics, and Democratic Erosion.” The four

articles developed from the earlier versions presented at a symposium titled “Rise of Illiberal Politics in

Asia” organized by Yoonkyung Lee, director of the Centre for the Study of Korea at the University of

Toronto, on November 15, 2019. The authors would like to thank Professors Takashi Fujitani, Sida Liu,

Andre Schmid, and Jack Veugelers, who participated in the symposium as discussants and offered critical

comments.

1033081PASXXX10.1177/00323292211033081Politics & SocietyLee

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