Right Wing Populism’s (Ab)use of the Past in Italy and the Netherlands

Authors

  • Stefan Couperus University of Groningen
  • Pier Domenico Tortola University of Groningen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.28939/iam.debats.133-2.2

Abstract

Historical analysis is increasingly used as a tool in the study of present-day populism in Europe. The past is often explored as a source of analogies through which to examine today’s populism, and at other times in search of causal mechanisms to
explain the current populist wave. In this paper we focus on a third kind of link between populism and the past, namely the ways populist movements and leaders use and abuse history and historical memory in their quest for mass support. This angle on the populism/history nexus can yield deep insight into the ideological make-up of these movements and their voters, and populism’s discursive dynamics and strategies. Focusing on contemporary right-wing populism and its approach to the dark past of European countries, the paper conducts an exploratory analysis that posits three ways in which the past is (ab)used by populists: (a) the positive reassessment of dark history; (b) the recourse to fake history; (c) the evocation and subsequent denial of links with the dark past. In examining each, we use examples taken from the cases of Italy and The Netherlands to check the plausibility of our categories across different national cases.

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Author Biographies

Stefan Couperus, University of Groningen

El Dr. Stefan Couperus és professor de Política i Societat Europea en la University of Groningen als Països Baixos. Va obtindre el seu doctorat en història moderna en la mateixa universitat en 2009 (amb la més alta distinció). Els seus interessos d'investigació inclouen la història de la teoria i la pràctica democràtiques, la història de la governança
urbana i la planificació, i els usos del passat en el discurs polític contemporani.

Pier Domenico Tortola, University of Groningen

Pier Domenico Tortola és professor assistent de política i societat europees en la University of Groningen, Països Baixos. Els seus recents interessos d'investigació giren entorn de la política de la crisi de l'Eurozona i les conseqüències d'aquesta última en la governança i les institucions de la Unió Europea. Té un DPhil en política per la University of Oxford.

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Published

2019-11-27

How to Cite

Couperus, S. and Tortola, P. D. (2019) “Right Wing Populism’s (Ab)use of the Past in Italy and the Netherlands”, Debats. Journal on culture, power and society, 133(2), pp. 11–25. doi: 10.28939/iam.debats.133-2.2.

Issue

Vol. 133 No. 2 (2019)

Section

SPECIAL ISSUE

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