How can we defend Europe from the onslaught of right wing populism? (TruLies-Blog by Marc Saxer)
Why are Right wing movements so popular? In a new contribution to the TruLies Blog, Marc Saxer points out that by means of a collective identity, they offer solid ground in the vertigo of change. In the context of globalization and middle class fear of social decline, he fears that if the Left fails to define identity in progressive terms, the Right will do it in nativist terms, and that will be the end of Europe.
The text was first published on the blog of online debate magazine Carta. Marc Saxer is Resident Representative of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in India as well as coordinator of the European-Asian „Economy of Tomorrow“ project.
The project “TruLies – The Truth about Lies on Europe”, aided by the Stiftung Mercator and run by the Institute for European Politics (IEP) in cooperation with Das Progressive Zentrum, has two principal objectives. On the one hand, it strives to deconstruct Eurosceptic and populist prejudices, animosities, and false assertions, by means of social scientifically-grounded analysis. Thus, it aims to contribute to a rationalisation of the public discourse and debate in Germany (and beyond). On the other hand, “TruLies Europe” endeavours to publicly communicate its findings beyond the select circle of scholars to political actors, civil society, and the wider public. You may find further information on our website: http://trulies-europe.de/.
Marc Saxer’s contribution can be found here.
