In this article Bodjadžijev and Opratko introduce the special issue on ‘Cultures of Rejection’. First, they describe the political and intellectual conjuncture in which the term ‘cultures of rejection’ was developed. Second, they introduce some core assumptions and methodological considerations informing the perspective that came to be associated with that term, and that eventually gave rise to original empirical research on the sociocultural conditions in which right-wing and authoritarian politics, movements and sentiments can thrive in contemporary Europe. In the third part, they introduce the common conceptual design and methodological approach of the research projects that follow, and their key findings in Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Germany and Sweden between 2019 and 2022.