Event Date: November 9, 2026 - 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Location: FSS 4006, 120 University Private, University of Ottawa

Presented by CIPS and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

In his newly published book, A Global History of Right-Wing Terrorism, Tobias Hof traces the global history of right-wing terrorism from the mid-nineteenth century to today. In this talk, he draws on the wide range of historical and social case studies from the book to explore how terrorist movements have evolved, adapted, and forged transnational connections across time and continents. Looking closely at their shifting ideologies, motivations, and internal dynamics, Hof sheds light on the often-uneasy relationships between terrorist groups, conservative elites, and state security forces. The talk offers a rare, longue-durée perspective on the deep roots and enduring patterns of right-wing terrorism.

Speaker:

Tobias Hof is DAAD Associate Professor for History and German Studies at the University of Toronto and Privatdozent for Modern and Contemporary History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. In 2022/2023 he was the Hannah Arendt Visiting Chair for German and European Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Tobias has taught at the University of Munich, the Washington University in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For several years, he was a researcher at the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich. He has held grants and fellowships from the DAAD, the Volkswagen Foundation, and the Max Weber Foundation. His research focuses on the history of terrorism and counterterrorism as well as the history of violence, fascism, and humanitarianism. He is the author of Staat und Terrorismus in Italien 1969-1982 (Oldenbourg, 2011), Galeazzo Ciano: The Fascist Pretender (University of Toronto Press, 2021), Geschichte des Terrorismus von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart (UTB, 2022), Terrorismus. Frag doch einfach! Klare Antworten aus erster Hand (utb, 2026) and A Global History of Right-Wing Terrorism (Berghahn, 2026) as well as many journal articles and book chapters on his research interests. His current projects focus on the perception and reception of popular fantasy and science fiction novels as well as films within the far-right milieu, and on the global history of right-wing terrorism.

Discussant:

Jan Claudius Völkel is DAAD Seconded Professor in German Studies and International Relations at the School of Political Studies (SPS) and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), University of Ottawa. His work focuses on Europe and the contemporary Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Before coming to Ottawa, he was Academic Dean at the Institute for the International Education of Studies (IES) in Freiburg, Germany, and had research and teaching positions at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Cairo University, the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Universität Salzburg, and Universität Freiburg.

Moderator:

Audrey Gagnon is an Assistant Professor at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. She is a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Network for Research on Security, Extremism and Society (CANSES). She is also affiliated with the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo. Her research focuses on conceptions of national identity, far-right and right-wing populist movements, conspiracy theories, as well as the ethics of researching the far right.