For Blood and Soil: Far-Right Extremism in Canada Book Launch

The launch of Amarnath Amarasingam and Stephanie Carvin’s new book, "For Blood and Soil: Far-Right Extremism in Canada"
About this Event

Join MISC and McGill-Queen’s University Press for the launch of Amarnath Amarasingam and Stephanie Carvin’s new book, For Blood and Soil: Far-Right Extremism in Canada, moderated by Jonathan Montpetit, on Monday, September 14th, 2026, 4 p.m. at the Faculty Club, 3450 McTavish St.

Abstract of book:

Canada is no stranger to hate. From Ku Klux Klan rallies in the 1920s and fascist sympathizers of the 1930s to the so-called Freedom Convoy’s occupation of Ottawa a century later, far-right extremism is a homegrown phenomenon, deeply woven into the nation’s political and cultural fabric.

Through firsthand interviews with former extremists, policymakers, and experts, alongside historical context, For Blood and Soil shows how hate movements – far from an imported problem – have evolved and rebranded, with extremist ideas moving seamlessly between virtual spaces and real-world violence. Over the past decade, online far-right activity in Canada has surged, connecting with networks of incels, QAnon followers, anti-government groups, and other conspiracy-driven communities. Public attention has often focused on religiously motivated violence, overlooking the threat from adherents to secular ideologies, even as violent attacks have risen. Moving beyond frameworks that focus on the United States and Europe, Amarnath Amarasingam and Stephanie Carvin offer targeted recommendations to address this serious threat to Canada’s institutions and social cohesion.

By tracing the experiences of individuals who have joined and left extremist groups, this accessible and authoritative work uncovers how extremist ideologies are financed and facilitated and how personal and political forces sustain hate across generations.

The talk will be followed by a Q&A and reception. There will be limited copies available for purchase after the lecture. This event is free and open to the public. Reserve your tickets via Eventbrite.

To learn more about the book, visit the McGill-Queen's University Press website. For more information about MISC and our events, please visit the MISC website.

Amarnath Amarasingam is an Associate Professor in the School of Religion, cross-appointed to the Department of Political Studies, at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. His research focuses on extremism and radicalization, religion and politics, conspiracy theories, social movements, online communities, and diaspora politics. He is the co-author of Dangerous Conspiracies: When Bad Ideas Turn Violent (2026) as well as For Blood and Soil: Far-Right Extremism in Canada (2026). He has published 6 edited volumes, including Contemporary Far-Right Culture: The Art, Music, and Everyday Practices of Violent Extremism (2025), The Sociology of Violent Extremism (2025), and Stress Tested: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Canadian National Security (2021). An experienced field researcher, he has conducted fieldwork in Sri Lanka, Syria, Iraq, Morocco, Somalia, Lebanon, and Israel/Palestine. He has interviewed hundreds of extremists, former extremists, impacted families, and survivors of political violence.

Stephanie Carvin is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Her research interests are in national and international security. Currently, she is teaching in the areas of critical infrastructure protection, intelligence and public policy. Her most recent book is For Blood and Soil: Far-Right Extremism in Canada (McGill-Queens University Press 2026) co-authored with Amarnath Amarasingam. She is also the author of Stand on Guard: Reassessing Threats to Canada’s National Security (University of Toronto Press, 2021), the co-author of Intelligence and Policy Making: The Canadian Experience (Stanford University Press 2021) with Thomas Juneau, and Science, Law, Liberalism and the American Way of Warfare: The Quest for Humanity in Conflict (Cambridge, 2015) co-authored with Michael J. Williams. In 2009, Carvin was an observer at the US Department of Defence Law of War Working Group and a visiting fellow at George Washington University Law School. From 2012-2015, she was an analyst with the Government of Canada focusing on national security issues.