1st Edition
Far-Right Ecologism Environmental Politics and the Far Right in Hungary and Poland
Far-Right Ecologism explains how the ongoing mainstreaming of the far right has prompted greater engagement with a range of topics, including the environment. Behind the façade of vote-winning strategies, the far right has provided a substantive ideological engagement with the natural environment. Building on the nationalist bent of early green thought and the perceived nexus of pristine nature and cultural purity, Far-Right Ecologism has ideologically adopted the green elements of other ideologies, such as conservatism and fascism, but also of those considered to be "thin-centred", such as nationalism and populism. Through an authentic experience of learning from the Eastern European, post-socialist realms, this book explores the ideology, ecological discourse and policy proposals behind the increasing impact of far-right actors on environmental politics in Hungary and Poland. Each chapter begins with stories from the interviewees to illustrate how the far right in Hungary and Poland attempts to permeate environmental politics and even forge partnerships with green actors through specific, local-based policy contributions. Drawing on the findings from a range of sources, such as electoral programs, ideological texts and manifestos, social media and public speeches, policy proposals and more than 40 in-depth interviews with far-right representatives, this book also assesses epistemological and methodological challenges in examining the environmental dimension of far-right, post-socialist politics. This book will be valuable reading for researchers with an interest in the far right, environmental politics and Central Eastern Europe.
Introduction 1. Far-Right Ecologism: introducing the spectrum 2. Far Right in Hungary and Poland 3. Greening the Core: The central concepts of FRE 4. The Perimeter: Nostalgia, Autarky, Spirituality and Authority 5. FRE in action: policy and activism Conclusion
Biography
Balša Lubarda is currently a Fulbright fellow at the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, UC Berkeley (United States) and the founder of Ideology Research Unit at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR). He obtained his PhD from Central European University (Hungary/Austria) in 2021.
‘Lubarda is one of the most rigorously analytical among a new generation of scholars working on the ideological nexus between the Far Right and environmentalism. While his empirical research reaches into areas neglected by most scholarship, this book is also conceptually innovative and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.’
Jonathan Olsen, Professor and Chair, Department of Social Sciences and Historical Studies, Texas Woman’s University, USA
‘I believe Balsa Lubarda’s book promises to be a very significant contribution. It applies a fitting theoretical approach to rich empirical research on a topic of growing importance: far right thinking about the environment. He points to themes with popular appeal, that cross-sect the usual rural-urban, social class divides, and moderate-radical divides. He also points to opportunities but also problems of building bridges across the political divide to gather broad support for green measures.’
Arlie Russell Hochschild, Professor Emerita, Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
