Abstract
This article is about the way that the notion of religion is understood and used in election manifestos of populist and nationalist right-wing political parties in Germany and the Netherlands between 2002 and 2021. In order to pursue such enquiry, a discourse on the nature of manifestos of political parties in general and election manifestos specifically is required. Election manifestos are important socio-scientific and historical sources. The central question that this article poses is how the notion of religion is included in the election manifestos of three Dutch (LPF, PVV, and FvD) and one German (AfD) populist and nationalist parties, and what this inclusion reveals about the connection between religion and populist parties. Religious keywords in the election manifestos of said political parties are researched and discussed. It leads to the conclusion that the notion of religion is not central to these political parties, unless it is framed as a stand against Islam. Therefore, these parties defend the Jewish-Christian-humanistic nature of the country encompassing the separation of ‘church’ or faith community and state, the care for the historical and cultural heritage of church buildings, and the subordination of the freedom of religion to the freedom of expression. The election manifestos also reveal that Buddhism and Hinduism are absent in the discourses of these political parties.
Highlights
This article investigates the way in which religion is understood and used in election manifestos of populist and nationalist right-wing political parties in Germany and the Netherlands between 2002 and 2021, see Table 1
In 2011, Wielenga and Hartleb (2011, p. 8) stated that the most noticeable difference between the Netherlands and Germany is that right-wing populism had seemly gained a secure place within the Dutch political party spectrum since the meteoric rise of Pim
As we have already mentioned, we focus on the populist and nationalist political parties established between 2002 and 2021
Summary
This article investigates the way in which religion is understood and used in election manifestos of populist and nationalist right-wing political parties in Germany and the Netherlands between 2002 and 2021, see Table 1. Dutch and German politics as well as the current academic discussion on the entanglement of religion and the rise of populism (Nillson and Shterin 2019) In both countries, Christiandemocratic political parties have exerted great influence in the political arena Both countries have generally worked well together as partners in the European Union In both countries, populism and nationalism are not new phenomena, but today they form their own societal, socio-economic and (geo-)political context. Populism and nationalism are not new phenomena, but today they form their own societal, socio-economic and (geo-)political context They are reactions to the (geo-)political and socio-economic developments that have taken place since the early 20th century.
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