The global crisis of liberal democracy has often been connected to the rise of the illiberal/ authoritarian/ populist/ far right. While the forces on the right end of the political spectrum have indeed gained significant representation at different levels, their rise in popularity has also been accompanied by a rightward shift in politics in general.
In many national contexts, it is increasingly difficult to draw a clear line between the far right – indifferent if not hostile to liberal democracy – and the mainstream right. The mainstream right has moved to accommodate not only far-right discourses but also has been increasingly willing to rely on far-right policies and political alliances with far-right forces. These developments have fundamentally changed power dynamics on the right, turning the far right into a hegemonising right-wing (HRW) force that shapes the visions of the future in societies across the globe and their respective social contracts.
Despite substantial differences between right-wing forces in terms of genealogy, ideology, institutional standings, and influence in diverse national contexts, this panel notes that the HRW has invested in creating a shared right-wing identity that transcends national borders. HRW activities incorporate creating infrastructures for transnational cooperation that enable the sharing of concepts and ideas, and discursive and structural opportunities for transnational right-wing identity formation. Global and regional right-wing conventions have added new (temporal and spatial) dimensions to this process.
Lying at the intersection of philosophy, political science, and linguistics, this panel brings together scholars from Europe, Latin America, and South Asia who all share their interest in exploring the emerging transnational right-wing identity. The interdisciplinary collection of papers in this panel presented by researchers working with the Helsinki Hub on Emotions, Polarisation, and Populism builds upon the intellectual legacy of Ernesto Laclau, particularly his works on populism and affective polarisation. The panel intends to go beyond “national boxes” in theorising the rise of the HRW and address the international dimension of transnational right-wing identity construction processes.