The cultural sector of fascism; how culture upholds the rise of the far-right and how artists and culture workers can counteract this phenomena amidst a global rise in fascism
In conversation with Praxis @praxis_archives
Introduction and Interview by Sylphia Basak, 2025
Praxis is a self described “Sociologist with a camera. ”A documentarian based in Tkaronto (Toronto), he is among those who capture the human rights abuses often committed by Toronto Police Service, delivering images to a community of over 16,000 on Instagram.
At the time writing this, we are now 600 days into the Gaza genocide. And it is clear that there has been a cultural turnover in terms of support for Zionism and the state of Israel. With establishment media and political figureheads rapidly scrambling to condemn the ongoing war crimes being committed in occupied Palestine, political support for Palestine among legacy media and political institutions is now becoming far more acceptable in the Western world, nearly to the point of neoliberal co-option. Omar El-Akkad’s book title often flashes through my mind every time I see a new person feel compelled to speak up, nearly two years since October 7th ; “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. As anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist ideology rapidly spreads into the most popular they have been since the 60s and 70s, so too, equally rapidly does the rise of fascism. Politically, economically, socially and culturally. The political and economic consequences of fascism are more obviously seen and felt.. They can be named. Alligator Alcatraz, ICE raids, cost of living, climate catastrophe, proscribed terrorism accusations- always more money to Israel. No money for healthcare but always for the military, always to line the pockets of the 1%. We are approaching the fever pitch of the empire's downfall.
Cultural fascism, however, can be harder to pinpoint. There are its more obvious forms, such as the normalization of far-right misogyny and homophobia/transphobia, the increasing individualism among those whose ability to provide for themselves is constantly threatened. However there is, I think, a lesser discussed iteration of this newfound cultural fascism; specifically the way in which the extremist conservatism of the far-right has proliferated into so-called “progressive” spaces. We have witnessed in real time the unraveling of our political system and the false dichotomy of liberal and conservative, Democrat and republican, how they act as controlled opposition to give us the illusion of control, all while serving the same master; money and power. Is it safe to say then, that this false dichotomy may exist in art and culture as well? Culture is what shapes collective psychology, and it is for this reason that it is perhaps the most insidious way in which fascism takes its form. How current technologies and a climate of survival under late-stage capitalism perpetuate fascist tendencies in the cultural zeitgeist, the establishment of “progressive” institutions diluting the very notion of an organized left by ultimately revealing themselves to be and money and power hungry as their counterparts on the far-right. Take Boiler Room, a once groundbreaking underground hub which revolutionized club culture and DJing, purchased by KKR, a weapons manufacturing company responsible for selling weapons, particularly bulldozers to the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Think of certain rave collectives in major cities defending their choices to work with Zionist organizations under the guise of “representation”. Think of universities (Colombia, NYU, Cambridge, King’s College, UofT, McGill, etc.) throughout the western world, once upheld as beacons of progress and innovation, now regularly allow police to brutalize their students on their own campus, withholding diplomas from valedictorians, and (in America’s case) sending ICE and federal agents to deport international students, all for protesting genocide. Or of major Pride organizations in Toronto and London, allowing banks and weapons manufacturers floats in parades, letting police assault objectors during a celebration of a movement pioneered by a Black Trans woman protesting the raids of her community.
In order to get a better sense of what “cultural fascism” is, how we’re seeing it manifest currently, and most importantly, what we can do as both creators and consumers to combat it, I reached out to Praxis earlier this year to get his insight from a more sociological lens; the following is an edited transcript of our interview.
At the time writing this, we are now 600 days into the Gaza genocide. And it is clear that there has been a cultural turnover in terms of support for Zionism and the state of Israel. With establishment media and political figureheads rapidly scrambling to condemn the ongoing war crimes being committed in occupied Palestine, political support for Palestine among legacy media and political institutions is now becoming far more acceptable in the Western world, nearly to the point of neoliberal co-option. Omar El-Akkad’s book title often flashes through my mind every time I see a new person feel compelled to speak up, nearly two years since October 7th ; “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. As anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist ideology rapidly spreads into the most popular they have been since the 60s and 70s, so too, equally rapidly does the rise of fascism. Politically, economically, socially and culturally. The political and economic consequences of fascism are more obviously seen and felt.. They can be named. Alligator Alcatraz, ICE raids, cost of living, climate catastrophe, proscribed terrorism accusations- always more money to Israel. No money for healthcare but always for the military, always to line the pockets of the 1%. We are approaching the fever pitch of the empire's downfall.
Cultural fascism, however, can be harder to pinpoint. There are its more obvious forms, such as the normalization of far-right misogyny and homophobia/transphobia, the increasing individualism among those whose ability to provide for themselves is constantly threatened. However there is, I think, a lesser discussed iteration of this newfound cultural fascism; specifically the way in which the extremist conservatism of the far-right has proliferated into so-called “progressive” spaces. We have witnessed in real time the unraveling of our political system and the false dichotomy of liberal and conservative, Democrat and republican, how they act as controlled opposition to give us the illusion of control, all while serving the same master; money and power. Is it safe to say then, that this false dichotomy may exist in art and culture as well? Culture is what shapes collective psychology, and it is for this reason that it is perhaps the most insidious way in which fascism takes its form. How current technologies and a climate of survival under late-stage capitalism perpetuate fascist tendencies in the cultural zeitgeist, the establishment of “progressive” institutions diluting the very notion of an organized left by ultimately revealing themselves to be and money and power hungry as their counterparts on the far-right. Take Boiler Room, a once groundbreaking underground hub which revolutionized club culture and DJing, purchased by KKR, a weapons manufacturing company responsible for selling weapons, particularly bulldozers to the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Think of certain rave collectives in major cities defending their choices to work with Zionist organizations under the guise of “representation”. Think of universities (Colombia, NYU, Cambridge, King’s College, UofT, McGill, etc.) throughout the western world, once upheld as beacons of progress and innovation, now regularly allow police to brutalize their students on their own campus, withholding diplomas from valedictorians, and (in America’s case) sending ICE and federal agents to deport international students, all for protesting genocide. Or of major Pride organizations in Toronto and London, allowing banks and weapons manufacturers floats in parades, letting police assault objectors during a celebration of a movement pioneered by a Black Trans woman protesting the raids of her community.
In order to get a better sense of what “cultural fascism” is, how we’re seeing it manifest currently, and most importantly, what we can do as both creators and consumers to combat it, I reached out to Praxis earlier this year to get his insight from a more sociological lens; the following is an edited transcript of our interview.
Photography by Praxis (retrieved from @praxis_archives)
Basak: What does “the cultural sector of fascism” mean to you?
Praxis: Obviously, I don't think 'culture' is unique to fascism, but in its most basic terms, culture is the key vehicle of communication between the social and political pillars of any society. Social relations get translated into political structures through the usage of culture, and vice versa. So, when I hear the cultural sector of fascism I just think about culture being used as a tool or technology of a fascist political structure to communicate social relations that align with fascism.
B: Beyond explicit imperialist propaganda - such as the social media posts of The White House, the press statements of Western politicians and rhetoric of establishment media - how does the culture/media/art industry, particularly in western countries, perpetuate fascist rhetoric? This includes phenomena such as over consumption, hyper-individualism, anti-intellectualism, etc.
P: Well, hyper-individualism and overconsumption are key elements of capitalism, and by extension imperialism and fascism. Another term I would use is 'redundancy.' Fascists will often argue that on one hand, “undesirable” (disabled, unhoused, elderly; anyone who cannot contribute to the labour force) people are considered redundant or wasteful. You'll hear rhetoric about people leeching from society, not providing value.
I mean, it's ultimately all about relations to power and preying on people's ontological insecurities. The cultural sector mimics the push-pull social dynamics of a fascist society - people are excluded from accessing any material power, but are sold the idea of being included ideologically. In a fascist reality that views people and the value of their labour as either redundant, wasteful, or replaceable, you have to push the rhetoric that the only way you can be included is to consume, purchase, and be uniquely valuable.
And again, value in this case would just be to perpetuate highly concentrated top-down relation to power afforded to a few individuals. You cannot be redundant and be desirable at the same time, and this is in part what the cultural sector communicates.
It (cultural fascism) is a culture that glorifies celebrity, being platformed, being a “creator” - and for those who cannot be that, they are compelled to consume art endlessly without much critique. It is in part to maintain a divide between producer and consumer, and partially to have a self-reinforcing system to make the average consumer believe that they too can access material power if they prove themselves to be special enough (which will never happen).
B: Consider the fascist aesthetics of the 20th century; white picket fence, Norman Rockwell, nuclear European families, futurism,etc. What are some equivalents of the modern era? How are they peddled to the average consumer? Some examples that come to mind for me are food as luxury, ultra-fitness, the rise of Christianity in the West, “clean girl” aesthetic, growing popularity of trad-wifism, and homesteading…
P: In all those past and contemporary examples of fascist aesthetics, the throughline is conformity. A perfectly constructed cul-de-sac, or curated Instagram grid - it boils down to culturally maintaining a standard void of any deviance. The average consumer is provided a formula to replicate that really requires no real substantive thoughts or reflections.
We also cannot have an honest conversation about the modern equivalents of fascist aesthetics without mentioning artificial intelligence. In every instance, the goal of fascist aesthetics is to bombard the consumer with meaningless garbage. The point is to remove any possibilities of intellectual reflection and discourse, keeping us busy with mind-numbing shit to consume. Frankly, the point of Al is for it to be shit - it needs to be flawed and relatable in some way. It's accessible to the average consumer because there is no material power that can be gained. “It looks pretty, I can do that too, I want to be important” - there is no imagination, study, or discipline required. Without imagination, how do you defeat the propaganda machine that you have been born into? If you are punished for deviation from the fascist aesthetic standard, how would you ever come to intellectually explore a better world?
Al is incredibly dangerous because not only does it allow for endless bullshit consumption, but it gives people the feeling - preying on their ontological insecurity - that they are actually producing something. However, without having a true relation to labour, you can never really develop class consciousness - you cannot even imagine class struggle at that point. That is how the fascists win and stay in power.
B: Conversely, do you see “alternative” aesthetics and subcultures being appropriated to serve the imperialist/capitalist agenda? For example, Boiler Room’s parent company being a private equity firm and weapons manufacturer while they attempt to sell Palestine jerseys. Why is this appropriation harmful? What juxtapositions do you see in terms of what cultural institutions report and advertise versus what we see happening, for example, in Gaza, Sudan, Congo and even within the imperial core? What effect do you think this has on the momentum of anti-imperialist movements?
P: Honestly, I have spent far too much time studying how social movements have been co-opted since the 90s. It's an oxymoron to suggest that there could ever be a dominant subversive culture, but that is what people are sold today. Boiler Room is a particularly egregious example. Trying to sell FC Palestina jerseys was crazy - the PACBI endorsement, crazier. I think it's also very revealing that Wet'suwet'en land defenders have not been given the light of day by these entities because it's not marketable enough for them, and/or the profit motive isn't high enough. Absolutely no mention of land defenders in Boiler Room's half-assed statement.
I think the impact on the momentum of anti-imperialist movements is far more devastating than what folks want to admit.
There is something admirable, humane - but naive - about believing in a mainstream revolutionary aesthetic, brand, forum, or whatever else. It's ultimately insidious and does more harm than good, because most people who seek out alternative understandings of the sociopolitical world are ultimately subsumed by the 'aesthetics of revolution,' and they're inevitably lured back to where they began - consumers and servants of capitalism. Frankly, that's just a consequence of capitalists and fascists understanding the importance of culture as a way to control social relations. Revolutionary aesthetics are just a repackaged version of selling the value of importance and conformity - but to a niche audience. They have figured out how to profit off the aesthetic of rebellion - you can now even work at an NGO and do wage labour for rebellion.
The issue is that for nearly 40 years now, we have not been able to respond to the neoliberal co-optation and NGO-ization of countercultural and revolutionary movements. The effect is that younger people especially, have only come to understand the notion of revolution through aesthetic means. We don't materially challenge capital, we consume revolution. We don't need to understand theory, because we're already part of the normalized and co-opted consumer class of 'rebels'. It's all anti-intellectual, which is a core element of fascism.
B: How can we go forward then, being aware of the ways media and corporations try to manipulate us? How do we combat cultural fascism, is there a way to use these weapons formed against us to our advantage? Why is cultural revolution important?
P: I think part of combating cultural fascism is acknowledging that under settler-colonial and capitalist conditions, there can never be a truly popular revolutionary culture. If there is profit to be made, we need to reject it. I think combatting cultural fascism means being principled, and withdrawing our labour and consumption from every co-opted space. I think we need to materially be in community with one another, build relations of substance, and struggle, rather than symbols of in-group belonging.
I'm not completely disillusioned, I do think there are clever ways to use social media platforms to our advantage - which I don't necessarily want to share here, but it boils down to infiltration and sabotage of far-right online spaces. Regardless, it is still limited and the revolutionary culture that we wish to communicate between the social and political pillars needs to be cultivated through struggle. Combatting cultural fascism needs to be informed by fierce intellectualism and ruthless criticism of systems. We need to embrace contradictions instead of pretending that we can or should exist as culturally uniform beings.
Photography by Sylphia Basak
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I speak directly to my artists and culture workers in the imperial core now. In these final, dying stages of colonial capitalism unravelling before us, our conditions will have undoubtedly become more brutal by the time this piece is published. As cultural workers, we must critically engage with our industry, and be wary of institutions and people, big or small, that prop themselves up as being “revolutionary” by mere virtue of existing. And reject the idea that the price of revolution can be paid for in subscription, acquired in a certain amount of followers, or fought with the right typeface.
We can no longer act as though representation and visibility are the ceiling. Identity politics are currently being weaponized against the working class. The promise of fame and fortune in exchange for the pursuit of real justice for the collective, we convince ourselves our individual success amounts to material change for our people. But the crumbling walls of this empire will hold no prisoners, and no amount of perceived fame can protect you when the storm comes. The LA fires tore through Hollywood, ICE is beginning to arrest naturalized citizens and tourists of the United States, singers are being investigated for terrorism. You may not live in the ring of fire, but the smoke threatens to engulf everyone regardless.
We must dream of a better future for ourselves and for our siblings in the Global South. Revolution, real revolution requires sacrifice, which, as Praxis points out, cannot by nature be confined to a singular aesthetic, or niche trending discourse. As much as it requires critical thinking, and it does, revolution also requires a sort of un-knowing; of everything we have ever been taught about what it means to strive for success, what success looks like beyond the confines of colonial-capitalism, and redefine it within the context of combatting this dying system. Relinquishing those ideas of fame and fortune, we must be led by our material conditions and moral compasses before those false promises. Resistance must be enacted through the mental and spiritual as much as the physical. In order to preserve all which this system threatens to take from us (including the ever looming AI), we must redefine and create on our own terms. What is our place, as artists and culture workers, in the ruins of an empire? When you look back on who you were during this time, will you have looked at all which was promised to you and made the seemingly impossible choice to turn away?
Photography by Praxis (retrieved from @praxis_archives)