European Studies 327 - The European New Right

(Offered as HIST 327 [EU] and EUST 327) Over the last two decades, the European "New Right" (from the French "Nouvelle Droite") has gained new ground in political discourse and among European electorates. Historically speaking, the New Right emerged in response to the 1968-movement in France, combining features from social activism with ideas linking back to conservative thinkers in history such as Carl Schmitt, Joseph de Maistre or Edmund Burke. One central concept is that politics is guided by "meta-politics" (similar to the "theoretical superstructure" in Marxist thought) and that the New Right hence needs to conquer this space by taking control over discourses on philosophy, culture and identity. This course explores the history, rise and contemporary position of the New Right in Europe and offers insights in its ideology as much as its representations. Moving from the historical origins in the writings of chief ideologue Alain Benoist to contemporary European social movements such as "PEGIDA" in Germany and the pan-European "Identitarian Movement," this course offers a general overview of the New Right and insights from particular case studies. We will discuss how and why the New Right has experienced increasing momentum and what the implications of this development are for political culture: a radicalization of the mainstream or the mainstreaming of the radical? Two class meetings per week.

Limited to 25 students. 5 seats reserved for first-year students. Fall semester. STINT Fellow Önnerfors.