Von Differenzlinien und moralischen Mehrheiten: Majoritäre Identitätspolitiken als soft-autoritäre Herrschaftspraxis

Translated title of the contribution: Of lines of difference and moral majorities: Majoritarian identity politics as a soft-authoritarian practice of rule

Jens Adam, Hagen Steinhauer, Shalini Randeria

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract (may include machine translation)

    In diesem Artikel wird die Rolle der mehrheitlichen Identitätspolitik bei sanften autoritären Angriffen auf die Demokratie untersucht. Anhand von Beispielen aus Frankreich und Polen argumentieren wir, dass rechte Akteure in ihrem Kampf um kulturelle und politische Hegemonie Strategien wie die Dämonisierung emanzipatorischer Politik, die Problematisierung von Differenz und die Selbstviktimisierung "rassischer" oder ethnoreligiöser Mehrheiten anwenden.

    This article examines the role of majoritarian identity politics in soft authoritarian attacks on democracy. Drawing on examples from France and Poland, we argue that in their struggle for cultural and political hegemony, right-wing actors use strategies like the demonisation of emancipatory politics, the problematization of difference and self-victimisation of »racial« or ethnoreligious majorities. Highlighting three political buzzwords (namely séparatisme, islamo-gauchisme and wokisme), our first case study traces shifts in French public discourse towards a conjunction and normalization of islamophobe, racist and anti-intellectual stances. Ethnographic observations about recent anti-LGBT discourses and restrictive border policies in Poland showcase the mobilization of political affects to transform the body politic into an exclusive identarian moral community. We close the article with a pledge to take seriously current attempts to redefine Europe as a closed formation with a fixed essence and stable identity.
    Translated title of the contributionOf lines of difference and moral majorities: Majoritarian identity politics as a soft-authoritarian practice of rule
    Original languageGerman
    Pages (from-to)15-39
    Journalpolylog
    StatePublished - 2022

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