1st Edition
The Far Right and the Environment Politics, Discourse and Communication
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, both the crisis of liberal democracy, as visible in, for example, the rise of far-right actors in Europe and the United States, and environmental crises, from declining biodiversity to climate change, are increasingly in the public spotlight. Whilst both areas have been analysed extensively on their own, The Far Right and the Environment: Politics, Discourse and Communication provides much needed insights into their intersection by illuminating the environmental communication of far-right party and non-party actors in Europe and the United States. Although commonly perceived as a ‘left-wing’ issue today, concerns over the natural environment by the far right have a long, ideology-driven history. Thus, it is not surprising that some members of the far right offer distinctive ecological visions of communal life, though, for example, climate-change scepticism is voiced too. Investigating this range of stances within their discourse about the natural environment provides a window into the wider politics of the far right and points to a close connection between the politics of identity and the imagination of nature. Connecting the fields of environmental communication and study of the far right, contributions to this edited volume therefore offer timely assessments of this often-overlooked dimension of far-right politics.
1. Introduction: Far-right articulations of the natural environment: An introduction - Bernhard Forchtner, PART I: TWO FIELDS, TWO STORIES,2. The trajectory of far-right populism – a discourse-analytical perspective - Ruth Wodak, 3. Environmental communication research: origins, development and new directions - Anders Hansen, PART II: WESTERN EUROPE, 4. "Protecting our green and pleasant land": UKIP, the BNP and a history of green ideology on Britain’s far right - Emily Turner-Graham, 5. From Black to Green: Analysing Le Front National’s ‘Patriotic Ecology’- Salomi Boukala and Eirini Tountasaki, 6. Environmental politics on the Italian far right: not a party issue? - Giorgia Bulli, PART III: NORDIC COUNTRIES, 7. Sheep in wolves clothing: The Danish far right and ‘wild nature’- Christoffer Kølvraa, 8. Far-right and climate change denial. Denouncing environmental challenges via anti-establishment rhetoric, marketing of doubts, industrial/breadwinner masculinities enactments and ethno-nationalism - Martin Hultman, Anna Björk and Tamya Viinikka, 9. The allure of exploding bats: The Finns Party’s populist environmental communication and the media - Niko Hataka and Matti Välimäki, PART IV: CENTRAL EUROPE, 10. The ecological component of the ideology and legislative activity of the Freedom Party of Austria - Kristian Voss, 11. The environmental communication of Jobbik: Between strategy and ideology - Anna Kyriazi, 12. Is brown the new green? The environmental discourse of the Czech far right - Zbyněk Tarant, 13. Beyond the ‘German forest’: Environmental communication by the far right in Germany - Bernhard Forchtner and Özgür Özvatan, 14. The environment as an emerging discourse in Polish far-right politics - Samuel Bennett and Cezary Kwiatkowski, PART V: BEYOND EUROPE, 15. In the heartland of climate scepticism: A hyperlink network analysis of German climate sceptics and the US right-wing - Jonas Kaiser, 16. Alt-right ecology: Ecofascism and far-right environmentalism in the United States - Blair Taylor, 17. The rhetorical landscapes of the ‘alt right’ and the Patriot Movements: Settler entitlement to native land - Kyle Boggs, CONCLUSION, 18. Looking back, looking forward: a preliminary conclusion on the far right and its natural environment(s) - Bernhard Forchtner
Biography
Bernhard Forchtner is associate professor at the School of Media, Communication and Sociology, University of Leicester, UK.
"The study of far right environmental politics presents unusual challenges. In this much-needed volume, a range of international scholars offer contemporary insights on the topic. In an era when the far right is once again on the rise, the critical perspectives gathered here could not be more timely." Peter Staudenmaier, Department of History, Marquette University, USA
'Different far-right actors are in the political ascendancy; man-made environmental disasters are worsening. Understanding the links between the far-right and environmental themes could not be more topical or urgent.' James Painter, Department of Politics and International Relations, Univeristy of Oxford, UK
"This book makes an important contribution by bridging two of today’s key concerns: the emergence and continuous growth of far right parties and movements, and the increasing awareness of climate change and environmental crises. Anyone who want to understand the role of far right parties in environmental politics, should read this informative and timely book." Jens Rydgren, Professor of Sociology, Stockholm University, Sweden.
"The Far Right is not conventionally considered an ecological movement – despite the (national) environment being one of their central ideological concerns. In this fascinating and timely book, Bernhard Forchtner has assembled an impressive range of contributors who amply dispel the myth that environmentalism is a new, or a fringe, feature of far-right discourse. Theoretically and analytically wide-ranging, and transnational in focus, this volume is highly recommended for scholars of discourse analysis, political science and environmental communications." John E Richardson, Language & Linguistics, University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
"This welcome volume fills an important intellectual niche by examining the diverse ways in which far-right political parties and movements, especially those in Europe, deal with environmental and ecological issues. In some cases they promote meaningful environmental protection, but in many others environmental skepticism and anti-environmental policies. Tracking their impact will be vital, and this volume provides a baseline for future scholarship." Riley E. Dunlap, Regents Professor of Sociology and Dresser Professor Emeritus, Oklahoma State University, USA
