1887
image of Farmers as symbol of ‘the people’

Abstract

Abstract

Despite increased attention to the far right and environmental issues, little research has focused on the increasingly prominent attempts by populist radical right (PRR) parties to capitalize on farmers’ protests against climate and biodiversity policies across Europe. This article addresses this gap by analyzing PRR discourse through a case study of the Flemish PRR party, Vlaams Belang (VB), a party that has only recently started to present itself as the defender of farmers and rural populations. A discourse-theoretical analysis of VB’s 2019–2024 publications on farmers and agriculture reveals that VB employs the ‘the rural’ as a symbolic signifier to integrate farmers and their demands into its discourse. The party constructs farmers as the symbol of ‘the people’ through both nationalism and populism. Through their link with ‘the rural,’ farmers are positioned as rooted in ‘the nation’ within VB’s nationalist politics and as part of ‘the underdog’ in its populist politics.

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2024-12-05
2025-01-23
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: farmers ; Vlaams Belang ; far right ; rural ; nationalism ; populism
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