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CHALLENGES from WITHIN: the RISE of NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS in WESTERN EUROPE by KEVIN T. RODGERS Integrated Studies F

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CHALLENGES from WITHIN: the RISE of NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS in WESTERN EUROPE by KEVIN T. RODGERS Integrated Studies F CHALLENGES FROM WITHIN: THE RISE OF NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS IN WESTERN EUROPE By KEVIN T. RODGERS Integrated Studies Final Project Essay (MAIS 700) submitted to Dr. Mike Gismondi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts – Integrated Studies Athabasca, Alberta August 2016 THE RISE OF NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE 2 ABSTRACT Neo-nationalism is a political ideology that seeks to limit the effects of globalization on the historically defined nation-states of Europe. Neo- nationalism is growing rapidly and is not beholden to class based norms, nor is it defined by a traditional ideological construct. This paper seeks to define the factors that have led to the rise in the popularity of neo-nationalist parties in Western Europe. To do this effectively, an interdisciplinary approach is used that seeks to combine insights from across the disciplines of anthropology, economics, gender studies, geography, sociology and political science in order to better understand neo-nationalism’s popularity. I argue that the rising popularity of neo-nationalist groups lies in their ability to use an adaptive mythology that plays on pre-existing regional, religious, gender, and economic sensitivities in order to stoke fears of either a real or a perceived loss of political, cultural, and economic power. THE RISE OF NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE 3 Over the last thirty years globalization and space-time compression have fundamentally altered our social, economic, and political worlds. Neo-liberalism and globalization have since become interlinked as neo-liberal economic policies have come to dominate globalization initiatives. Although globalization policies have connected the world and shifted some regions out of poverty, globalization has also negatively affected individuals and altered traditional class patterns. In Western Europe, a rise in neo- nationalist sentiment has formed a challenge to the globalist policies of neo-liberal institutions and organizations like the IMF, the World Bank, and the European Union. Neo-national groups like the France’s National Front, Britain First, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), and Austria’s Freedom Party have all dominated political headlines in Western Europe, surprising academics and pundits alike with their swift rise in popularity. This paper seeks to address the factors that have led to the rise in popularity of neo-nationalist parties throughout Western Europe. I argue that the rising popularity of Neo-nationalist groups in Western Europe, lies in their ability to craft an adaptive mythology which plays on pre-existing regional, religious, gender, and economic sensitivities, as a means to stoke fears of either a real or a perceived loss of political, cultural, and economic power. Supporters of neo-nationalism are united by their fear of the unknown and their fear of a future they neither understand or control. The European Union, and the social changes that have been brought about by neo-liberalism, provide an enemy that neo- nationalists can frame as the negative force that has altered member nations’ economic agendas, reduced the power of once powerful domestic unions, changed social and cultural elites, altered ideas of masculinity, and encouraged economic migration. Like the THE RISE OF NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE 4 dangerous nationalist groups of the past, neo-nationalist groups deflect blame and hold ‘foreign’ others as being responsible for social and economic changes affecting their self- defined nation. Neo-nationalism’s ability to present suitable scapegoats and cater to popular descent allows the movements rise in popularity. When studying social phenomena, like the rise of neo-nationalism, it is important to incorporate a variety of disciplinary perspectives as individual adherence to neo- nationalist ideologies can vary greatly between participants in the movements. It is not simple to categorize individuals who may feel a connection to neo-national causes. People participate in political movements in individual ways. Therefore it is important to incorporate as many theories and perspectives as possible in order to come to a more complete view of the factors leading to the popularity of neo-national movements. Another challenge for this study lies in what Sager (2014) calls methodological nationalism; a research phenomenon where investigation of global problems are often addressed through the historical and cultural biases of the researcher’s national perspectives (p. 62). The presence of the nation-state as an organizational tool still represents a key assumption in fields like political science, history, geography and economics. Scholars, politicians, and journalists study the GDP of a state, the population of a state, and the history of a state – these assumptions fuel the dominance of the nation in social research. Methodological nationalism plays an important role in our understanding of neo-nationalist movements, since most citizens have been taught to think of the nation as a foundational presence in our day to day lives - a belief that biases many in the West towards discourses that rely on concept of ‘the nation’. In order to avoid the pitfalls of methodological nationalism, and disciplinary biases / blind spots, this THE RISE OF NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE 5 paper uses an interdisciplinary research method that incorporates perspectives from both the humanities and social sciences (from several national regions) in order to find consensus and to better understand neo-nationalism as a transnational phenomenon. This paper attempts to bridge gaps in discipline specific research by drawing on assumptions and theories present in anthropology, economics, gender studies, geography, sociology and political science. Interdisciplinary techniques allow for a more comprehensive analysis of the growth in popularity of neo-nationalist parties over the last 15 years. Although this paper focuses on events unfolding in Western Europe, nationalist ideas are rising globally. Research into the popularity of neo-nationalism is key to understanding fundamental political and social changes of our times. It appears that nationalist sentiment - spread by groups like Britain First, the National Front, or even the US Republican Party under Donald Trump- has been able to mobilize support and create a new form of resistance to neo-liberalism. In Putin’s Russia, nationalism has replaced Marxism as a force for social and political control. Neo-nationalism is a force that could fundamentally alter political and economic policies around the world. Understanding the motivations, politics, and aims, of neo-nationalist groups and their supporters is key to understanding a potentially revolutionary period in world history. We often associate nationalism with a historical phenomenon that peaked in the 1930s and led to two world wars. Yet nationalism, as a social and political ideology, played an important role during the 19th and the 20th centuries through organizing economies, cementing loyalties to the state, and providing individuals with a sense of belonging in lieu of the feudal ties. In short, nationalism built the modern nation –state. It is important to note that although nationalism and neo-nationalism are linked, both THE RISE OF NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE 6 movements are unique and are formed from a different set of underlying principles, enemies, and aims. Delany (1996) states that: “nationalism today in fact represents something substantively new and it is therefore legitimate to speak of ‘neo-nationalism’. The emergence of new nationalism is indicative of a more general transformation of political culture: a gradual shift from monolithic ideologies to a diffuse politics of cultural identity and a concern with social themes” (p. 127). While sharing some ideological similarities with nationalist movements of the past, neo-nationalists argue against the new ‘others’ of global capitalism and economic migration, while believing that supranational entities, like the EU, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund work to undermine the strength of their once dominant nation-states. Sociologists Ager and Valdez (2015) indicate that neo-nationalism differs from its historical name sake in that neo-nationalism is: “a boundary maintenance project rather than a nation building project” (p. 127). In anthropology, Gingrich (2006) adds that while neo- nationalism rejects some key ideas behind modern capitalism, neo-nationalism maintains a link to capitalist ideas of individualism. He further suggests that to neo-nationalists, individual exceptionalism can be widened to apply to the nation and stoke ideas of national exceptionalism. (p. 198). Economist, Quentin Duroy (2014) echoes Gingrich’s link between neo-nationalism and capitalism, stating: “The rise in neo-nationalism has coincided with the increased influence of neo-liberal ideology on economic development in Europe through policies of deregulation, privatization, austerity and / or European Union membership” (p. 469). Thus emerges a clear cross disciplinary consensus (shared by researchers in the fields of sociology, economics and anthropology) which denotes THE RISE OF NEO-NATIONAL POLITICAL MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE 7 neo-nationalism as something distinct from past nationalisms and is tied to capitalism and neo-liberalism in historically specific ways. In order for a political movement to grow and recruit, the movement must create
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