Reimagining Europe: How populist right-wing actors construct an illiberal EUrope

Abstract

Populist radical right (PRR) actors have critically shaped the EUropean political discourse in recent decades. With the rise of identity politics and populism, core elements of European values have been questioned and attacked (Guasti and Bustikova 2023, Bertoncini and Reynié 2021, Kuhar and Paternotte 2017). Euroscepticism has become a widespread feature of European political discourse (Taggart and Szczerbiak 2018). The most prominent example is Viktor Orbán’s creation of an “illiberal democracy”. These actors not only undermine liberal democracy, shared values, and the rule of law, but actively attempt to construct an illiberal alternative to EUrope (Bar-On 2008, Lorimer 2021). This panel seeks to investigate the discursive production of the European Union in specific, but also Europe in general by populist actors on the right. Which discursive strategies do PRR actors use to reimagine EUrope? How do elements of populism and illiberalism interact? Which rhetoric tools are employed to reimagine EUrope? Are there any similarities or differences between actors or countries? How are other PRR actors imagined? What are the elements of an illiberal alternative to EUrope? The panel will host contributions employing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including case studies, but also comparative studies highlighting differences and similarities as well as broader perspectives.

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