Nationalism and the Politics of Nostalgia¹

Abstract

This article contributes to the analysis of the politics of nostalgia by focusing on its content, conditions, and mechanisms. Frame theory is used to understand the contested nature of nostalgia through the central framing of the past. We explore ways in which nostalgia relates to ethnic nationalism and populism and its close relationship to the rhetoric of the populist radical right. Components of nostalgia that stand out as particularly significant is the history of decline and loss. Whereas nostalgia is utilized by proponents of both civic and ethnic nationalism, we are particularly occupied with the ethnic substance of nationalist nostalgia. Nationalist nostalgia capitalizes on loss, idealization, and resentment and its contested nature may be brought out through diagnostic and anti-migrant frames. A central mechanism is the juxtaposition and unfavorable comparison between an idealized glorious past, a decaying present, and the creation of a utopian future, that in many ways resemble Christian narratives of fall and redemption. We therefore expect an increasing appeal of nostalgia as an orienting mechanism during unsettling times, rapid changes, and uncertain conditions. We draw upon critical cases of the radical right in Europe, and case studies from the Balkans, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and the United States.

Those were the what? Contents of nostalgia, relative deprivation and radical right support

“…Radical right voting is associated with higher magnitudes of group‐based but not personal nostalgia. While this finding speaks to the relevance of radical right rhetoric shaping people's experiences (e.g., Elgenius & Rydgren, 2022; Mols & Jetten, 2020), it also shows that the above‐presented coefficients need to be interpreted cautiously. Group‐based nostalgia is associated with radical right voting intentions, sympathy for the party and its leader and more culturally conservative attitudes when accounting for temporal shocks and a series of background variables.…”

“…Why is nostalgia, and particularly its group‐based contents, associated with radical right support? Arguably, preferences for a more ethnically homogenous past will explain parts of it, such that people support exclusionary parties if they feel that societies have diversified too much (e.g., Elgenius & Rydgren, 2022; Smeekes et al., 2021). But, as shown in previous research (Hepper et al., 2014; Wildschut et al., 2006), nostalgia is a widely and frequently experienced emotion, and the present paper confirmed that its experience is not limited to radical right voters.…”

“…Although essential contributions, the current evidence mainly rests on general measures of nostalgia, cross‐sectional designs or convenience samples. Given the theoretically distinct effects of nostalgia (Wildschut et al., 2014), the risk of reverse causality (e.g., Elgenius & Rydgren, 2022) and the prevalence of nostalgia in society (Hepper et al., 2014; Wildschut et al., 2006), it is vital to study the association between nostalgia and radical right support while accounting for these limitations.…”

“…However, the emotion seems particularly relevant among populist radical right parties, that is, parties that embrace populist, authoritarian and nativist elements (Mudde, 2007). Hence, a growing body of literature documents populists’ nostalgic rhetoric (e.g., Elgenius & Rydgren, 2022), nostalgia's changes over time (Heath et al., 2022) or its link to acculturation preferences (Smeekes & Jetten, 2019) and radical right ideology (De Vries & Hoffmann, 2018; Smeekes et al., 2021). Experimental evidence by Van Prooijen and colleagues (2022) shows that people become more nostalgic after populist, compared to pluralist, rhetoric.…”

“…Second, compared to previous cross‐sectional analyses on the relationship between nostalgia and radical right support (e.g., De Vries & Hoffmann, 2018; Smeekes et al., 2021), the panel design facilitates better causal conclusions. This is vital, given that the nostalgic rhetoric of radical right elites (e.g., Elgenius & Rydgren, 2022) may also spark nostalgia. Likewise, nostalgia and radical right voting may be consequences of omitted variables.…”