“WE HAVE NO PRIDE LEFT IN EUROPE” Italian Far-Right Discourse in Critical Time Periods

Abstract

For a long time after World War II, far-right ideology was not favored in Italy until a sudden turn in the mid 1990s, which saw the collapse of the largest political parties at the time, creating opportunities for far-right influence in the Italian government once more. In this study, these critical time periods for far-right ideology are departing points for a discourse analysis of pivotal far-right works of the time to investigate whether there is a dominant narrative in far-right discourse over the span of time. Shedding light on a selection of works by the likes of philosopher Julius Evola and Lega Nord politician Umberto Bossi, pioneers of far-right ideology of their time, the study makes use of a theoretical framework of previous studies which account for the characteristics of far-right ideology, and some popular rhetorical themes. Using Italy as a case study for its historical relevance to far-right ideology, and the lasting impact of fascism in the country, the study aims to fill the research gap on the topic of far-right ideology and its discourse in Europe, which tends to not stretch further back than the past 20 years. The study’s findings suggest a lasting narrative of moral decay and a longing to return to an idealized past which is enduring across the time periods regardless of specific party politics. Additionally, the dominant narrative is tinged with representations of national and European identity, but the study finds that these concepts are more fluid and not as enduring to the discourse.