Economic sociology and the far-right

Reflecting on the recent support of prominent business moguls for far-right movements, this comment article argues that reactionary politics are permeating deeply into socio-economic interactions, compelling economic sociologists to investigate them. It shows that, to date, economic sociology has explored four main aspects of this entanglement: (1) materialist approaches have examined the class logics underpinning business support for the far right; (2) institutionalist approaches have investigated the processes through which far-right factions within the business community impose their hegemony over state institutions; (3) cultural economy approaches have interrogated the cultural dimensions of economic practices and their connections to far-right ideologies; and (4) Science and Technology Studies (STS) approaches have explored the circulation of devices and organisational practices between far-right movements and corporations. While each approach contributes to an economic sociology of the far right, the article contends that the materialist approach is central for articulating these findings with those of broader far-right studies.