ABSTRACT
The chapter provides an overview of the re-emergence of populist nationalism in Europe in the context of globalized crises of migration, economy and identity. It grounds key concepts used in the book in relevant literature and debates. Identifying gaps in the state of the art, Thorleifsson suggests that an ethnographic approach can better capture the demand side of the radical right and the local motivations and concerns of supporters. The chapter explains the basis for the case selection of Hungary, England and Norway, and how these can shed light on the various economic and cultural factors that drive populist nationalism. Challenging conventional theorizing, Thorleifsson suggests that culture and economics cannot always be looked upon as separate drivers of populist nationalism as they can be mutually constitutive. Linking an analysis of the anti-immigration and anti-minority discourses propagated by populist radical right parties with the concerns of ordinary supporters and activists, Thorleifsson sheds light on the causes, ideological patterns and (in)consistencies in far-right mobilization and racialization across national contexts. Through discourse analysis and personal interviews with politicians and supporters, she examines the practices and tropes that are mobilized by populist radical right parties and how these in turn are instrumental in the re-drawing of national boundaries.
