Sovereignism as a product of crises: a comparative analysis of German and Spanish parties and their use of sovereignist claims

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sovereignism is frequently considered as an important phenomenon in political science but barely studied on its own. This paper understands sovereignism as a distinct concept and explores sovereignist claims comparing two different political systems. It addresses the yet-to-be-discovered link between crises and increase (or stagnancy/decrease) in the adoption of sovereignist claims by political parties. Following a framing approach, we examine the euro, migration and COVID-19 crises to capture how these crises were used by German and Spanish parties to shape sovereignist claims. The analysis confirms that these three crises facilitated discursive opportunities for an increased use of sovereignist claims. Although newly emerged radical parties are identified as the main discursive entrepreneurs, mainstream parties also accommodate the sovereignist discourse under certain conditions. This paper makes an important contribution to studies on sovereignism offering an analytical framework as well as fresh insights on the conditions for the adoption of sovereignism.