Dr Georgios Samaras is Lecturer in Public Policy, King’s College London
In this talk, Georgios Samaras shows how the post-2009 crash reshaped work, status, and family roles for men, and how that strain was channelled by far-right actors into grievance, protection, and order narratives. The paper traces three mechanisms—economic precarity, threatened masculine identity, and nationalist framing—and maps how they interact to lower thresholds for radical mobilisation. Attendees will leave with a clearer account of why economic shocks don’t automatically produce extremism but do when identity and messaging align.
Meet our speaker and chair
Georgios Samaras is Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Public Policy at the International School for Government and Policy Institute, King’s College London
Previously, he was a Lecturer in Political Economy at the Department of Political Economy during the academic year 2022/23. He received his PhD in Political Science from King’s College London in 2022. His doctoral research focused on the emergence of the far-right Greek neo-Nazi party 'Golden Dawn', analysing its impact on voting behaviour and the online mobilisation of the broader far-right in Greece amidst the economic crisis. Dr Samaras is currently leading a study on Greek voting behaviour funded by the ETERON Institute. Additionally, he is a Senior Research Associate at the ENA Institute in Athens, Greece. From 2019 to 2022, he lectured on politics at University College London and the London School of Economics. Dr Samaras also serves as a political adviser in Greece. His work has expanded to investigate communication strategies employed by far-right extremist groups in the 21st century. He also addresses far-right extremism and anti-democratic practices in politics, focusing on how states can improve policymaking to counter these groups and effectively communicate these strategies to the public.
Professor Vassilis Monastiriotis is Director of the LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus - Hellenic Observatory, Professor in Political Economy and Eleftherios Venizelos Chair of Contemporary Greek Studies at the European Institute, LSE.
The Hellenic Observatory (@HO_LSE) is internationally recognised as a leading research centre on contemporary Greece and Cyprus. In 2024, it became the LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus with a strategy to expand its research base within LSE and beyond. The Centre produces world-leading, non-partisan research, critically engaging with key issues and fostering debate among academics, policymakers, and the public. Its work spans academic research, knowledge exchange, and policy impact.
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