Populism and nativism in contemporary regionalist and nationalist politics: A minimalist framework for ideologically opposed parties

Abstract

Recent literature on the centre–periphery debate in European politics has produced a wide range of composite paradigms of regionalism, nationalism, and populism and nativism. A number of these definitions, however, tend to overemphasise the importance of populism by either framing it as a core ideology or by conflating it with the nationalism or regionalism of a specific party. This article makes three innovative contributions to populist studies by sustaining an ideational approach to populism and its combination with regionalist and nationalist ideologies. First, the article addresses the varied and at times conflicting composite paradigms of regionalism, nationalism, and populism by proposing a minimalist ‘populist regionalist’ and ‘populist nationalist’ conceptual framework; this places the emphasis on the type of nationalism and regionalism (left- or right-wing, civic or ethnic) to which populism and (potentially) nativism are attached. Second, by emphasising a clear distinction between populism and nativism, the article adds to a growing field of literature which aims to address the problem of ‘populist hype’. Finally, the contribution of a brief comparative case study illustrates how populism represents a key link between nationalists and regionalists ranging from the far-left to the far-right which are otherwise separated by nativism.

Populism has relationship issues: collider effects and immigration policy in Italy

“…However, the Northern League is not a nativist party, but nativism in its populism mattered (Newt, 2019). For instance, it influenced its position on social and economic policy.…”

Ethnicity and Politics: Terminological Debates and Nodal Points of Intersection

“…In other situations, we are talking about ethnoregionalism, and we are again dealing with manifestations of ethnicity in political processes. Moreover, ethnoregionalist parties, in the case of Europe united in the European Free Alliance, can conditionally be viewed as both nationalist and ethnopopulist (Newth, 2021): for instrumental purposes, they discursively mobilize the ethnic identity of the inhabitants of the region. Holism and antielitism (as the opposition of their own ethnic group, understood integrally, to the politically dominant ethnic group in the state, often in accordance with the theory of "internal colonialism" by M. Hechter (Hechter, 1975)) lies at their ideological core.…”

Rethinking ‘nativism’: beyond the ideational approach

“…The term itself originated in the USA to define 'an 'ideology' or 'certain kind of nationalism' which expresses 'intense opposition to an internal minority on the ground of its foreign connections' (Higham 1955, 4;Higham 1958, 149;Knoll 2012, 911;Riedel 2018, 19). Since then scholars have used nativism to denote the 'nationalist doctrine' or 'ideology' of the European 'radical right' (Betz 2017, 171;Mudde 2007Zaslove 2009;Newth 2019Newth , 2021 while also applying it to explain the decline of civic narratives of 'African nationalism' and the rise of xenophobic and exclusionary nationalist discourses in several African states. (Ndlovu-Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2010;Neocosmos 2006).…”

“…(Ndlovu-Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2010;Neocosmos 2006). Perhaps the most ubiquitous definition of nativism is that coined by Mudde (2020, 27) as a 'combination of nationalism and xenophobia' and an ideology, which holds that states should be inhabited exclusively by members of the native group ('the nation') and that non-native elements (persons and ideas) are fundamentally threatening to the homogenous nation-state (Mudde 2007, 19) While this minimal ideational approach has been greatly influential in studies of the European far right (Albertazzi and McDonnell 2008;Zaslove 2009;Newth 2019Newth , 2021, it can lead to a conflation of nativism with nationalism, overlooks the importance of the civic-ethnic binary and also neglects the fuzzy borders between nationalism and xenophobia.…”

“…Regarding regionalist movements such as Umberto Bossi's Lega Nord and the Vlaams Belang of Belgium (Newth 2019(Newth , 2021 regionalism and nationalism can potentially be seen as two sides of the same coin operating from a similar logic of 'us' versus 'them', particularly when the region is viewed as a 'lost nation'. This helps emphasise the role of 'nation' in nativist discourse and is reflected in the literature by paradigms such as 'Stateless, National and Regional Parties' (Hepburn 2009) and 'Stateless and Minority Nationalism' (Heinisch, Masetti, and Mazzoleni 2020, 927).…”