The interview was conducted in the second half of August 2021 through the exchange of several questionnaires and texts (via email). At the beginning the interviewer and the interviewee did not know each other personally. The main motivation for the interview lies in getting to know the interpretations of Mark Potok, one of the foremost experts on current political thought and radical and violent right-wing movements in Europe and North America. His career has been characterized by great social sensitivity, a hyperactive work pace and a selfless commitment to the dissemination of his areas of expertise in all types of media.

The decrease in the importance of the participation of anthropologists in public debates is the result of various factors, some internal to the discipline, others external. Triviality, high specialization, and neglect of issues of broad public interest are issues that need to be debated. Likewise, the current resurgence of discourses of intolerance and racism points to the possible arrival of a postmulticultural era where anthropological knowledge must be repositioned. The internet is another important variable in understanding contemporary anti-intellectualism, as it generates a renewed illusion of transparency that makes the social sciences seem useless. Ethnography, with its ability to bring us closer to agents, is a basis for anthropologists to take up a political / public role.