Abstract
The long tradition of anti-universalist, localist thought on the far right is articulated nowadays in terms of warnings that globalization not only involves the exploitation of people, but also destroys environmental structures no longer adequately protected by the nation-state. Whereas some on the far-right remain committed to the reconstruction of the nation-state, others have fused deep ecologism with ethnoseparatism in favour of bioregional or other localist solutions, while assuming the eventuality of a catastrophic breakdown of the international system as a precondition for sustainable social renewal. The paper examines the distinctive ideologic of this form of utopian catastrophism alongside that of other versions of deep ecologism and considers its transnational adaptations following the unprecedented rise in human migration in recent decades. As research on social remittances indicates, ideas and values travel with people, and this includes far-right ideas carried by activists who declare uncompromising loyalty to their homelands. Given its attachment to place, and the fact that far-right ecologists leading transnational lives represent a contradiction in terms, the question is how this ideological current adapts when operating in transnational spaces. The paper evaluates the degree of continuity between the transnational far right today and its historical national predecessors. Using the case study of Polish far-right migrants in Britain, it shows that the ideological adaptation which helps far-right ecologists alleviate the tension of migration and put down roots in new places, is mediated through political myths and symbolic narratives revolving around long-established far-right themes of the soil and the dead.
Presenters
Rafal SoborskiProfessor, International Politics, Richmond American International University, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Economic, Social, and Cultural Context
KEYWORDS
Far-Right Ecologism, Utopian catastrophism, Local space, Transnational spaces
