1st Edition
The Rise of Nationalist Populism Comparing Western European Right-Wing Political Parties
The Rise of Nationalist Populism explores the intersection between populism and nationalism, conducted through the discursive analysis of three Populist Radical Right parties that have gained prominence during the 2010s: Rassemblement National (France), Lega (Italy) and Vox (Spain).
Due to its rise in Europe, the United States, and further afield, there is a growing interest in right-wing populism, an exclusionary and illiberal form of populism that has been able to attain success in several countries. This book contributes to the analysis of how populism, understood as a way of constructing the political, is shaped by the ideologies that permeate it. It examines how a certain form of nationalism is shaped by populist dynamics, that is, by a certain form of identity-building. The book analyses the intersection between nationalism and populism in right-wing populist parties by using a discourse analysis methodology based on Ernesto Laclau’s works, thus conducting a similar examination to the ones presented by the Essex School of Discourse Analysis. The empirical analysis focuses on party literature and carefully selected candidate speeches at a national level for its three case studies, as well as providing an overarching comparison. The book shows how the economic crisis and the irruption of issues related to sovereignty and national identity arising in France, Italy and Spain paved the way for the emergence of their respective right-wing populist forces.
The book will appeal to researchers and students of political science, especially those with an interest in populism, discourse analysis, identity, and the far right.
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
2.1. Right-wing populism
2.2. Nationalism(s)
2.3. Nationalism and populism
2.4. Conclusion
3. Theoretical framework
3.1. Post-structuralism: undecidability and the impossibility of social closure
3.2. Neo-Gramscianism: hegemony, contingency and articulation
3.3. The political according to Laclau: post-foundationalism, discourse and competition
3.4. The Populist Radical Right, populism and nationalism
4. Methodology
4.1. Overcoming the limitations of other Discourse Theory methodologies for the analysis of discursive formations
4.2. What kind of discourse analysis?
The structural moment
The positional moment
4.3. Data collection and inferences
4.4. A comparative approach
5. Discourse analysis: introduction
6. Discourse analysis: France
6.1. Structural moment
Identifying the main political actors of the period
Organic crisis and competing frontier-building
Identifying the key demands and signifiers in dispute throughout the period
6.2. Positional moment
Articulation
Competition
Conclusion
7. Discourse analysis: Italy
7.1. Structural moment
Identifying the main political actors of the period
Organic crisis and competing frontier-building
Identifying the key demands and signifiers in dispute throughout the period
7.2. Positional moment
Articulation
Competition
Conclusion
8. Discourse analysis: Spain
8.1. Structural moment
Identifying the main political actors of the period
Organic crisis and competing frontier-building
Identifying the key demands and signifiers in dispute throughout the period
8.2. Positional moment
Articulation
Competition
Conclusion
9. Comparative analysis
9.1. Stasis and hegemonic impossibility
9.2. What kind of nationalism?
9.3. Nationalising the people or popularising the nation?
9.4. Conclusions
10. Conclusions
10.1. Summary of findings and contributions to knowledge
10.2. Suggestions for further research
11. Index
Biography
Daniel Rueda received his PhD from King’s College London, UK. He writes on International Relations, the European far right, terrorism, and American politics for El País in Spain.
