ABSTRACT
The continued success of radical right-wing populist parties in Western Europe is largely owed to their ability to promote a nativist agenda based on the notion of “our people first”. Economically, contemporary nativism in Western Europe promotes the notion of exclusive solidarity; culturally, it promotes the defence of Western Europe’s Judeo-Christian heritage together with Western Europe’s Enlightenment values against the challenge posed by the growing presence and visibility of Muslim migrant minorities. Both tropes appeal particularly to socioeconomically and sociocultural vulnerable constituencies, i.e., the “popular classes” feeling threatened by large-scale secular changes. As a result, the radical populist right has largely replaced the traditional left as the representative of the popular classes. The discussion in this chapter is divided into three parts. The first part addresses questions of taxonomy. It deals with the main features of radical right-wing populism with a particular emphasis on genealogy. The second part addresses the question of what accounts for the protracted staying power of radical right-wing populist parties. The third part briefly addresses the question of what these parties have concretely done when in a position of genuine power to respond to the concerns and interests of the “ordinary people” they purport to represent.
