iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 03/10/2026

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in London when there are no premiership games than at Leyton Orient vs Plymouth Argyle? Proper football stadium with some great local pubs reserved for ticket holders.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 02/10/2026

It was a pleasure to present our new book "Youth Wings of the Populist Radical Right" at the University of Sussex yesterday. Thanks so much to @paultaggart.bsky.social for hosting us and being his usual charismatic self. [Rare photo below of 4 academics all managing to smile at the same time]

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 24/09/2026

Landing in Bergen, where at 2 pm today, I’ll be giving a research seminar on our new book "Youth Wings of the Populist Radical Right" at @sampol.bsky.social in the University of Bergen.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 22/09/2026

Recently, I clocked up two important milestones: my 12th anniversary in Australia and my departure from Griffith University, where I'd spent all those 12 years. Spurred on by this, I've written a post on LinkedIn. I'm calling it “The ties that no longer bind”. www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 09/09/2026

Yesterday morning, @ammassarisofia.bsky.social & I had a lot of fun presenting our new books at #ECPR26. Huge thanks to everyone who came, but especially to our discussants @caterinafr.bsky.social & @stijntvankessel.bsky.social, and our chair @leoniedejonge.bsky.social. You were great!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 08/09/2026

This morning at 9.00 am, I’m discussing “Youth Wings of the Populist Radical Right” on a book panel in the opening session of #ecpr26: ecpr.eu/Events/Event... It’s the first of 5 events about the book we’ll be doing over the next 6 weeks. See below for more details. If you’re around, come along!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 05/09/2026

Starting the long trek to Kraków for the @ecpr.bsky.social General Conference. Have to say that the book selection at Brisbane Airport has really improved! 😀

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 01/09/2026

At 9.00 next Tuesday at #ECPR2026, @ammassarisofia.bsky.social & I will talk about our new books - on grassroots women and on young people in the radical right. With @caterinafr.bsky.social & @stijntvankessel.bsky.social discussing, and @leoniedejonge.bsky.social chairing, it should be lively!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 25/08/2026

I know you can't expect people to be able to keep up with Italian party name changes, but I'm baffled to see people questioning Meloni and Fratelli d'Italia's roots in the Italian extreme right. Folks, the clue's in the flame.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 24/08/2026

My copies of "Youth Wings of the Populist Radical Right" finally made it to Australia. It's always nice to see the physical copy of your book. Especially when the journey from idea to publication took over a decade. I'm glad we persevered though, as I'm very proud of this. 🧵A wee thread below...

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 12/08/2026

A proud moment. The first time I see a citation of my work that is AI-hallucinated. Marco & I did publish an article in 2014. But it was about technocrats and it came out in EJPR. Thankfully, we did not write anything about defining populism (especially since we now know it does not exist).

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 23/07/2026

It’s only a wee beach but, with a bit of effort, we can make it work. [Moorea, French Polynesia]

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 30/06/2026

I’ll be discussing our new book “Youth Wings of the Populist Radical Right” while on fieldwork in Europe later this year: 8/9: ECPR 🇵🇱 24/9: Bergen 🇳🇴 29/9: Oslo 🇳🇴 1/10: Sussex 🇬🇧 7/10: QMUL 🇬🇧 There’s room for 1 or 2 more, especially in England. If anyone is keen to host one, do get in touch!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 17/06/2026

Big news day for us. @ammassarisofia.bsky.social has already done the serious posts about our move to Flinders on Bluesky and LinkedIn. We're not on X anymore, but apparently they've been going wild over there about one of the major moves of this year's Australian academic transfer season:

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 16/06/2026

After publishing "Youth Wings of the Populist Radical Right" yesterday, today we talked about it at the CES conference, with @dafnoukos.bsky.social & @pinheiromachado.bsky.social. Hopefully, some of our engaged audience will now read the book (which you can do here: academic.oup.com/book/62992)

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 16/06/2026

The new arrival was duly toasted early yesterday evening in Dublin. "Youth wings of the populist radical right", online now with OUP: academic.oup.com/book/62992

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 15/06/2026

As the acknowledgments explain, it's been a LONG journey from idea to funding to fieldwork to writing to publication. I'm grateful to everyone who contributed along the way. Above all, my co-authors @ammassarisofia.bsky.social, Ann-Cathrine Jungar, Anders Ravik Jupskås, & @casmudde.bsky.social.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 11/06/2026

All set for the 32 hour trip to do 3 presentations in Ireland. On Tuesday (16/6) at @ces-europe.bsky.social: @casmudde.bsky.social & I present "Youth wings of the populist radical right" (which comes out on Monday!). @dafnoukos.bsky.social will discuss, with @pinheiromachado.bsky.social chairing

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 04/05/2026

Contract signed! Coming out in 2027 with Melbourne University Publishing (MUP): "Indigenous Participation and Representation in Australia's Major Parties" - the result of many years of research by Michelle Evans & me.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 13/04/2026

As the acknowledgements explain, this project has had a long (and sometimes bumpy!) journey. But we’re very proud of the result. @casmudde.bsky.social & I will be presenting it at @ces-europe.bsky.social in Dublin on 16 June, the day after it goes online. If you're at the conference, drop in!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 13/04/2026

The proofs are in! Youth Wings of the Populist Radical Right will be published in mid-June by OUP. Covering 10 PRR youth wings across Europe, we show how these organisations act as motors of mobilisation, socialisation, internationalisation, professionalisation, & normalisation for their parties.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 09/02/2026

I guess this means we're having pierogi, @benstanley.eu.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 04/02/2026

What Sofia is too modest to explicitly say in her post below, is that - in addition to our PRR youth wings book - she has a solo one coming out with OUP in June on grassroots women in the PRR: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 03/02/2026

Coming out in June. (when @casmudde.bsky.social & I will be presenting it at the @ces-europe.bsky.social conference in Dublin)

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 24/12/2025

Skipped it this year in favour of local calamari. The bugs have come out well.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 24/12/2025

Christmas Eve dinner. Oysters, Moreton Bay bugs (like lobster, but nicer), and calamari. Washed down with a fine Pinot Grigio from Victoria. Happy Christmas/Buon Natale!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 08/12/2025

And, if branches had a telephone, every year its number, along with the branch's exact address, would be listed in telephone directories. This means we can find out not only *how many* functioning branches there were, but *where* they were across the country & *when* they were present.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 08/12/2025

But... what if there was an unobtrusive method that you could use to map the territorial presence of local party branches in the late XX century? 🧐 Well, there is. Because there was something that well-functioning party branches (unlike those just existing on paper) had back then. This:

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 27/11/2025

I'm still jet-lagged from South America so getting on a plane was the last thing I wanted to do, but...once I arrived, it was good to be in Melbourne at the AusPSA conference and catch up with old friends. And today I had the pleasure of presenting in front of living Australian legend Antony Green!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 26/11/2025

Also coming very soon (i.e. in 4 hours), I'll be speaking on this AusPSA panel on populism, with a star cast of @ammassarisofia.bsky.social, Rachel Busbridge, @benmoffitt.bsky.social (and me). If I can somehow manage to have a nap before then, I'll be the happiest person in Melbourne.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 26/11/2025

A rare benefit of being awake in the middle of the night (day 10 of jetlag!): you get to see this drop into your mailbox. Coming soon, by @ammassarisofia.bsky.social & me, in Political Geography.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 12/11/2025

I didn't have “walking back from the supermarket into the middle of Kaiser’s rally” on my agenda for this evening in Santiago…

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 30/10/2025

It was a pleasure to present today at PUCP in Lima with @ammassarisofia.bsky.social about our research on the transnationalisation of the populist radical right. Great audience participation & such impressive students too. Now we have a couple of much needed days off and then move on to Bolivia!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 29/10/2025

Coming up tomorrow, at PUCP in Lima:

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 28/10/2025

I'm thrilled to see @ammassarisofia.bsky.social, Ferran Martinez i Coma & I have won over $825,000 in funding from the Australian Research Council for our Discovery Project "Generation-Z engagement with political parties". (When you're recovering from drinking Lima tap water, this helps a lot).

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 22/10/2025

Coming up next Thursday at noon in Lima: @ammassarisofia.bsky.social & I will be presenting our research on the transnational populist right at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. I'm looking forward to good discussions and the local ceviche. (states of emergency etc. permitting, of course).

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 19/10/2025

La Bombonera yesterday evening. I’ve been to lots of big games, including all 4 Italian derbies, but I’ve never seen a curva like that. Constant singing for 90 minutes, even when Boca conceded goals. Just amazing.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 16/10/2025

What @ammassarisofia.bsky.social says ⬇️ Really impressive set-up & group of people at Torcuato Di Tella. And they're right across the road from the Estadio Monumental!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 13/10/2025

Buenos días Buenos Aires. (view of Recoleta cemetery from the apartment balcony)

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 10/10/2025

I had a lot of fun yesterday evening presenting on the transnational populist radical right with @ammassarisofia.bsky.social at the University of São Paulo. It has been so heartening on this trip to meet engaged graduate researchers who not only come to seminars, but ask really smart questions too!

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 08/10/2025

After an excellent couple of weeks of fieldwork and seminars in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, the South American tour continues on Thursday at 5.30 pm with this seminar by @ammassarisofia.bsky.social & me at the University of São Paulo.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 07/10/2025

Post-seminar briefing in Little Africa, Rio.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 05/10/2025

With the absolute Godmother of Ipanema beach.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 05/10/2025

This weekend’s pre-seminar preparation in Rio is an Ipanema beach homage to Anthony Bourdain.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 03/10/2025

I celebrated last night with a beer at the Maracanã stadium in Rio, alongside 72,000 Flamengo fans.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 30/09/2025

In Brasilia today & tomorrow to do interviews in this stunning parliament.

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Duncan McDonnell @duncanmcdonnell.com · 29/09/2025

It was a pleasure to present with @ammassarisofia.bsky.social to the faculty and very smart students from IESP in Rio today. And the view when we came out into the Botafogo afternoon sun wasn’t bad either.

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