Masterclass in Budapest: Daphne Halikiopoulou on Nationalism and the Far Right
On January 23, our project’s expert Daphne Halikiopoulou from the University of York held a masterclass on nationalism and the far right.
Nationalism is a potent force in the modern world. Its power can often be seen in its violent, exclusive variety, for example the rise of an array of far right, anti-immigrant parties, secessionist movements and ethnic conflicts throughout the world. Political parties pledging to speak on behalf of the ‘pure people’, restore national sovereignty, ‘take back control’ from supra-national institutions and promote the ‘national preference’ through strict immigration and citizenship policies are often described as part of a phenomenon termed ‘the new nationalism’. This phenomenon is often understood as the product of a ‘cultural backlash’ caused by immigration within the context of a new transnational cleavage where value orientations have become the key drivers of voting behavior, pitting those with universalist beliefs against those who reject multiculturalism and seek to preserve the established value consensus and traditional ways of life.
This class aims to analyse the circumstances under which nationalism may become associated with far-right politics. How does nationalism help explain the demand and supply-side dynamics behind the rise of far-right parties? Are the drivers of far-right party support nationalism-related or does the importance of nationalism lie in the supply-side? In other words, is the rise of the far right best understood as the product of a cultural backlash among voters, or is nationalism a rhetorical tool adopted by far-right parties to increase their electoral fortunes.
Essential readings for the class:
Bonikowski, B., Halikiopoulou, D., Kaufmann, E., and Rooduijn, M. (2019) Populism and nationalism in a comparative perspective: a scholarly exchange. Nations and Nationalism, 25: 58–81. https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12480.
Halikiopoulou D., and Vlandas T. (2019) What is new and what is nationalist about Europe’s new nationalism? Explaining the rise of the far right in Europe, Nations and Nationalism, 25: 409–434. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12515.
Further suggested readings:
Choi DD, Poertner M, Sambanis N. The Hijab Penalty: Feminist Backlash to Muslim Immigrants. American journal of political science. 2023;67(2):291-306. doi:10.1111/ajps.12627 15.
Eger, M.A., Valdez, S. From radical right to neo-nationalist. European Political Science 18, 379–399 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41304-018-0160-0
Halikiopoulou, D., Nanou, K. and Vasilopoulou, s. (2012), The paradox of nationalism: The common denominator of radical right and radical left euroscepticism. European Journal of Political Research, 51: 504-539. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2011.02050.x
Halikiopoulou, D., Mock, S., Vasilopoulou, S. (2013) The civic zeitgeist: nationalism and liberal values in the European radical right. Nations and Nationalism, 19 (1)
Lubbers M. (2019) What kind of nationalism sets the radical right and its electorate apart from the rest? Pride in the nation’s history as part of nationalist nostalgia, Nations and Nationalism, 25, 449–466, https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12517.
Malet G. The activation of nationalist attitudes: how voters respond to far-right parties’ campaigns. Journal of European public policy. Published online 2024:1-25. doi:10.1080/13501763.2024.2311737
