Author Description

How Did The Far Right Go From Illegitimate Fringe To Contender For Public Office, And Did Europe Have Anything To Do With It? This Book Argues That European Integration Functioned As An Ideological Resource For Far Right Parties Looking For Legitimation Because It Enabled Them To Refashion Their Political Message In A More Acceptable Form, While Maintaining The Allegiance Of Their Existing Supporters. Drawing On The Qualitative Analysis Of Over 400 Documents Produced By The Italian Social Movement In Italy (1978-2009) And The Rassemblement National In France (1978-2019), The Book Identifies The Core Concepts And Discourses The Parties Used To Talk About Europe, And The Legitimation Mechanisms Associated With Them. The Book's Narrative Is Developed Through The Analysis Of Four Key Concepts: The Concept Of Identity, Which Enabled The Parties To Transnationalise Their Message And Create A Positive Association Between Themselves And Europe; The Concept Of Liberty, Which Made It Possible For Them To Foster An Image Of Actors Holding Uncontroversial Positions; The Concept Of Threat, Which Helped Them Promote The Idea That 'desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures;' And The Concept Of National Interest, Which Helped Them Stress Commitment To Core Principles In Their Ideology