Steven Forti

Steven Forti is a Lecturer in the Department of Modern and Contemporary History at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). He holds a PhD in History from UAB and the Università di Bologna (2011) and served as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (2014-2022). Forti is affiliated with the Centre d'Estudis sobre Dictadures i Democràcies (CEDID), Grup de Recerca sobre Dictadures i Democràcies (GReDDD), REFAT research network, and Derechas, Historia y Memoria (DHM) network. He serves on editorial boards for Spagna Contemporanea, Tiempo Devorado, Suite française, CTXT, Política & Prosa, and Il Mulino.

Education

• PhD in History, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Università di Bologna, 2011

Forti's research centers on fascism, populism, nationalism, and the extreme right through comparative and transnational historical frameworks. His work examines ideological evolution of far-right movements from the interwar period to contemporary digital landscapes, with emphasis on Spain, Italy, and pan-European connections. Key contributions analyze metapolitical strategies, historical continuities in ultranationalism, and the relationship between democratic fragility and authoritarian resurgence.

His recent publications reveal a critical shift toward digital extremism and electoral authoritarianism, demonstrating how historical fascist tropes adapt to modern social media while maintaining transnational networks. This work establishes concrete links between Cold War-era neofascism and current global right-wing movements.

Grants and Supervision

• Principal Investigator: ARENAS project (Analysis of and Response to Extremist Narratives), EU-funded (2023-2027)
• Member: "La derecha en la España democrática (1977-1996)", national project (2021-2025)
• Investigator: "The Role of Intergroup Exclusion in Fuelling Violent Extremism" (2024-2027)
• Accepting PhD students; supervised 15 graduate students to date

Forti operates within UAB's Centre d'Estudis sobre Dictadures i Democràcies (CEDID) and Grup de Recerca sobre Dictadures i Democràcies (GReDDD), collaborating through international networks REFAT and DHM to analyze authoritarian threats to democratic institutions across historical and contemporary contexts.