Fall 2018

The History and Rhetoric of the European New Right

Listed in: European Studies, as EUST-327  |  History, as HIST-327

Faculty

Andreas Onnerfors (Section 01)

Description

(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.

If Overenrolled: Priority to HIST and EUST majors, by seniority if necessary

HIST 327 - L/D

Section 01
M 02:00 PM - 03:20 PM CHAP 205
W 02:00 PM - 03:20 PM CHAP 205

ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
Retrotopia Cambridge, MA: Polity, 2017 Zygmunt, Bauman Amherst Books TBD
The Politics of Fear: What Right-Wing Populist Discourses Mean London, SAGE, 201 Wodak, Ruth Amherst Books TBD
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories New York: Routledge, 2018 Van Proijen, Jan-Willem Amherst Books TBD
Expressions of Radicalization: Global Politics, Processes and Practices Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018 Onnerfors, Andreas and Kristian Steiner, eds. E-book available TBD
Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times Durham: Duke University Press, 2007 Puar, Jasbir K. Amherst Books TBD

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

2024-25: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Fall 2018