What a lot is happening: A lot of shifts and new work emerging in antifascism, in a time of expanding militarism, imperial war, and Islamophobia; crackdowns on immigrants; escalating authoritarianism in the world of tech and AI; and new fascist directions within the Republican Party as a manipulative branch of white nationalist Republicans tries to rebrand using antiwar claims as a cover for antisemitism and as a tool for pushing the Republican Party in a more formally fascist direction.

        No Kings rallies and countless acts of mobilization and grassroots resistance have brought millions of Americans into activism against racism and war in recent weeks.

           The fascist use of the chant “Christ is King” as an antisemitic dog whistle, initiated by white nationalist Nick Fuentes and his “groypers,” seems only to be expanding…the subject of an article draft I’ve recently completed and sent off for feedback. I may also be doing a zoom presentation on this soon, and on how Catholics are addressing the attempted appropriation of Catholicism for fascism.

            The panel event at Gonzaga on the Christian nationalism book went well. (More on the book: On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives – 1st ) Co-editor David Gides came in from Montana, and chapter contributor Shane Burley came up from Portland, and local colleagues Lars Stoltzfus and Joseph Flores also spoke on their chapter. We had about eighty people there and some lively discussion, including with students, which was great to see. We also got some coverage from Spokane Faith and Values (Spokane FAVs) and the Gonzaga Bulletin:

• FAVs: Gonzaga Panel Explores Christian Nationalism and Its Threat
• Bulletin: Professors, scholar criticize Christian nationalism at GU panel | News | gonzagabulletin.com (The Gonzaga Bulletin reporter misunderstood what I was trying to say about the “spectrum of sincerity.” I use this term to talk about the varying levels of spiritual sincerity among Christian nationalists. While some are intensely motivated by their theological beliefs, others are using churches as cover for their fascist politics (essentially infiltrating), and there’s a range of sincerity and devotion to the faith in between.)

I’ve recently presented some research on far-right women at two conferences and will submit that as an article soon.

I also recently went on this chill leftist podcast/livestream, The Red Fleet, to talk about Erich Fromm’s critique of fascism. You can listen to us mull things here: The Red Fleet – Erich Fromm & the Psychology of Fascism

Recent articles I’d like to recommend:

• Michael Edison Hayden, formerly of the Southern Poverty Law Center, shares about changes in the SPLC and being driven out of his job for labor organizing and support for Gaza: What Happened to the SPLC—and Me – by Michael Edison Hayden
• Aaron Hedge (RANGE Media and Spokane FAVs) on far-right pastor Matt Shea stoking Islamophobia, war, and McCarthyism: Resurrecting the bogeymen
• 404 Media on the African workers whose intelligence is behind “AI,” organizing to fight back: ‘AI Is African Intelligence’: The Workers Who Train AI Are Fighting Back

Wednesday, February 25, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Hemmingson Auditorium, Room 004: https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/events/2026/2/25/cas-scholarly-showcase-on-christian-nationalism

Join Joan Braune, David Gides, Shane Burley, Lars Stoltzfus, and Joseph Flores for a panel discussion about Christian nationalism and the new book On Christian Nationalism: Critical and Theological Perspectives.

Free and open to the public – time for questions

Free food outside the event starting at 5:00pm

I am speaking on November 8, 3-5 pm, at the UU Church in Spokane and simultaneously on zoom. The event is sponsored by the East Side Gladiators, Indivisible, and the church’s social justice committee. More sponsoring orgs may be added soon. Sign up is available here or here.

Last weekend I spoke via zoom to the Humanists of Greater Portland. A few key points:

1. Under Trump 2.0, we are in a crucial window of time to resist fascism, after which we may not be able to resist through normal public means. (Tarso Ramos suggests we may be in a crucial “12 to 18-month window.”)
2. Fascism is a social movement seeking power, always already connected to sources of power. We defeat it not by policing, dialogue, or elections, but through building an alternative social movement.
3. We should focus on moving people along the “spectrum of allies,” getting those who passively agree with us involved in movements, getting people who are neutral to become aware, and raising questions for conservatives who are passively watching. By and large, we should not waste our time attempting to win over entrenched supporters of fascism and Christian nationalism, but rather focus on mobilizing with those we can reach.

Video of my talk is available here: https://youtu.be/qYcVSWFFbuM.

Judy Rohrer and I have a new op-ed out in RANGE: “When State Terror Comes to Town.”

We address both the national context of rising authoritarian power as well as the local context in Spokane, Washington. At a time of consolidation of executive power and far-right “states of emergency,” we address the arrests of local activists who tried to prevent an illegal ICE arrest, and our mayor’s unfortunate decision to issue a state of emergency to curtail the protest.

Sunday, August 10, Unitarian Universalists at 10:00am

Monday, August 11, 6pm at the Liberation Center (2737 E St)

Wednesday, August 13, at STRIVE weekly meeting at Black Cafe and Books on MLK Drive

I’m also giving a talk at my former high school, Pensacola School of Liberal Arts, but that’s teens and staff only ❤

I am grateful and pleased to share this review by Maor Levitin in Marx and Philosophy Review of Books, reviewing my book Understanding and Countering Fascist Movements: From Void to Hope.

‘Understanding and Countering Fascist Movements: From Void to Hope’ by Joan Braune reviewed by Maor Levitin

I am late sharing this, but I forgot to share that I went back on Bibliocracy Radio for an interview the weekend before the presidential inauguration in January. We mulled the need for action and hope in the face of overwhelming times: https://www.bibliocracyradio.org/episodes/h9zktxz8bw24mrp-fex8l-ehywh-5nalw-58j4n-m7h72-zscah-ssx7y.

A recording of last week’s panel on research on former members of the far-right and far-right participants is now available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htxYs2CCqRI.

The panel included chapter authors from a section of The Ethics of Researching the Far Right and was cosponsored by the Reactionary Politics Research Network and C-REX, the Center for Research on Extremism based in Oslo. You can also view the previous webinars 1-4, with presentations from other chapter authors in the book, on the Reactionary Politics Research Network’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ReacPolNet/videos.

The Ethics of Researching the Far Right is now out in a more affordable paperback version.