ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between populism and nationalism in theory and practice. Relating the ideational account of populism with the political-strategic and socio-cultural conceptions, populism is understood as the creation of people-centred moral antagonisms in society, where the role of personalistic leadership and low political discourse play a prominent role. The central argument of the chapter is that populist nationalism exploits uncertainties in liberal nationalist ideas concerning what kinds of openness are consistent with the preservation of the nation-state as the container of citizens’ ontological security. Concretely, these uncertainties are exploited by calling into question forms of international cooperation and national immigration regimes. Taking the cases of populist nationalist parties in the UK, Switzerland and Belgium, the chapter attempts to better understand how populist nationalist parties can impact mainstream politics, as well as the conditions for the longevity of these parties as influential political forces.
