A free, hybrid talk by Dr Martin Geoffroy from Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.

CIRAF is pleased to host a talk by Dr Martin Geoffroy from Cégep Édouard-Montpetit. This seminar will be hybrid; we encourage Cardiff-based colleagues to join us in person if they can. Teams link and location details will be provided to those who have registered.

The Far-right in Quebec; a psycho-social portrait

Dr. Martin Geoffroy

Professor in sociology and researcher

Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, Longueuil, Québec, Canada

This conference will explore the emergence and development of far-right groups in Quebec, focusing on their actors, ideologies, and internal dynamics. It will highlight how traditionalist Catholicism and anti-immigration rhetoric are central to these movements. Social media platforms are used extensively for recruitment, propaganda, and organizing activities. Many individuals are drawn to these groups by a desire for belonging, recognition, and a sense of purpose, often after experiencing personal or social adversity. Internal conflicts and leadership struggles are frequent, leading to instability within the groups. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified far-right activity, merging anti-sanitary measure movements with existing extremist networks. Psychological traits such as cognitive rigidity and susceptibility to conspiracy theories are common among members. The report emphasizes the importance of both psychological and social factors in the process of radicalization. Far-right groups in Quebec are characterized by authoritarian structures and a persistent sense of threat to identity and culture. Ultimately, the study shows that these movements thrive on a combination of personal vulnerabilities and broader societal tensions.

Sociologist Dr Martin Geoffroy has been teaching at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit since 2013. He holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Sociology from the Université de Montréal (UdeM), as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). His doctoral dissertation focused on Catholic fundamentalism in Quebec.

For more than twenty years, he has studied far-right and right-wing movements in Quebec, the United States, and France. He is the author of numerous academic articles and book chapters and has co-edited several scholarly journals and books.

With funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) through its Social Innovation Fund for Colleges and Communities, and with the support of a consortium of four colleges in the Montérégie region, he founded in 2016 the Centre of Expertise and Training on Religious Fundamentalism, Political Ideologies and Radicalisation (CEFIR).

Cardiff Interdisciplinary Research on Antifascism and the Far right (CIRAF) is an interdisciplinary research network that brings together the expertise of members who work on theoretical and empirical, historical and topical aspects of the far right in physical and digital spaces. We also study, and where possible aim to generate meaningful evidence and understandings for, those who challenge the far right in diverse ways.

Description supplied by the event organiser.