1st Edition

The Nordic Populist Radical Right Voters, Ideology, and Political Interactions

Edited By Ann-Cathrine Jungar Copyright 2025
320 Pages 51 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

320 Pages 51 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

320 Pages 51 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This edited volume examines populist radical right parties in the Nordic region. Somewhat surprisingly given the image of a consensual, egalitarian, and progressive region of Europe, the Nordic countries have been fertile ground for the radical right. Not only have radical right parties persisted for many decades, but they are currently much stronger in this region than in most other European... Read more

1. Introduction: The rise of the Nordic populist radical right  

Ann-Cathrine Jungar and Anders R Jupskås

 

Part I: The Voters  

 

2. Who votes for the Nordic radical right?  

Anders Backlund  

 

3. What unites populist radical-right voters in the Nordic countries  

Lise Bjånesøy and Elisabeth Ivarsflaten  

 

4. Party-voter policy representation among populist radical right parties in the Nordic region  

Anders Backlund and Ann-Cathrine Jungar  

 

Part II: Ideology  

 

5. The use of national myths in the rhetoric of populist radical-right parties in the Nordic countries  

Anders Hellström and Katarina Pettersson  

 

6. Three tales of welfare chauvinism  

Ov Cristian Norocel  

 

7. Radical right and gender equality  

Ann-Cathrine Jungar and Anders R Jupskås  

 

8. Men’s parties in gender equal havens: The gender-representation gap in the Nordic populist radical right parties  

Anna Lillkung  

 

9. From defending the family to protecting gays? Change and continuity in the Nordic radical right’s positions on LGBTQ issues  

Emil Edenborg and Ann-Cathrine Jungar  

 

Part III: Political interactions  

 

10. The transnational dimension of the Nordic populist radical right  

Karl Magnus Johansson, Ann-Cathrine Jungar and Anders R Jupskås

 

11. Radical right parties and government participation in the Nordic countries  

Anders Backlund and Ann-Cathrine Jungar  

 

12. The Swedish Labour Movement and the Sweden Democrats: Contest for Working-Class Voters?  

Sanna Salo  

 

13. Meanings of ‘populism’ and the radical right in Finnish and Swedish media  

Juha Herkman and Niko Hatakka  

 

14. Concluding discussion  

Ann-Cathrine Jungar  

Biography

Ann-Cathrine Jungar is Associate Professor at Södertörn University in Stockholm, Sweden. She has researched extensively on parliamentary government, Europeanisation and the radical right in Europe, particularly in the Nordic region.

‘The Nordic countries are home to some populist radical right parties that have made clear political imprints in the latest decades. In this rare volume scholars from political science, media studies and sociology try to understand and explain the crucial role these parties have played in Nordic politics. The story turns out to be somewhat surprising as it contains so much more than only anti-immigrant positions. A piece of Nordic contemporary political history that should be read by anyone interested in parliamentary right-wing radical movements and ideologies.’

Marie Demker, Professor in Political Science, Gothenburg University, Sweden

‘This edited volume is a must read for those interested the populist radical right in what was once believed to be the most stable and tolerant part of Europe. It covers the Nordic populist radical right in its many facets, discussing its core characteristics, as well as its behaviour in the electoral, legislative, and executive arena. It convincingly demonstrates that the Nordic populist radical right is part of the broader far right party family, but is at the same time comprised of four unique parties. Due to historical path dependencies, which are explored in-depth and offer many novel insights, each of the populist radical right parties in the region has become successful on its own terms.’

Sarah L. de Lange, Professor of Political Pluralism, Department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands