EUROPEAN MEMORIAL POLICY THROUGH THE PRISM OF POPULIST AND CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENTS: CRITICISM AND CHALLENGES
Abstract
The article is devoted to a detailed analysis of the impact of populist and conservative movements on European memorial policy. The article aims to reveal how these political currents shape the critique of official narratives and memory policies in Europe and to study the challenges they pose to national and European memory discourses. The analysis covers two main aspects: a critical look at the concepts of "European heritage" and "cultural identificationism" and the impact of these views on contemporary memorial policies. The article examines specific examples, in particular, how right-wing populist ideas distort European heritage through nostalgia for the "old Europe". In this context, the emphasis is on ignoring the colonial past and simplifying narratives about colonial violence and the Holocaust. It assesses how these ideas are used to support nationalist narratives that challenge the European Union's multicultural approach and memory policies. The article also analyses how populist and conservative movements are critical of the EU, seeing it as a "bankers' union" and a "coercive melting pot" that imposes policies of multiculturalism and migrant acceptance. The article also analyses how populist and conservative movements are critical of the EU, seeing it as a "bankers' union" and a "forced melting pot" that imposes policies of multiculturalism and migrant acceptance. The article examines how these movements, including Marine Le Pen's National Rally and Golden Dawn in Greece, advocate for the return of national sovereignty and the preservation of cultural identity based on European heritage, which they believe has nothing to do with the EU. Particular attention is paid to the concept of "new racism" or "cultural racism", which is characterised by a rejection of biological hierarchies and instead emphasises cultural differences as a basis for excluding migrants. The article analyses how right-wing populist ideas justify cultural incommensurability as a threat to European identity, while new right-wing ideologues promote the concept of ethno-regionalism, which is based on cultural differentialism and denies multiculturalism. Through a comprehensive analysis, the article aims to reveal the transformation of European memorial politics under the influence of populist and conservative trends and assess their implications for European memory and identity politics.
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