Political Extremism in Europe
This course discusses the birth and growth of extreme/radical right politics over the past 50 years in the majority of West European countries. Right-wing extremism and radicalism have combined since the late 1980s and early 1990s. Combining populism with the extreme right to create a new political family known as the populist radical right. One of the most central themes that the course focuses on primarily is the examination of political parties and voters. We thoroughly examined the risk of right-wing populist extremism for the survival of democracy in Europe as a whole, but my focus in this course was specifically on Belgium and the right-wing groups but we also compared our countries of focus to other Western European democracies. This course introduced me to the academic debates about the causes of the growth of radical right parties and voters in Western European countries. Additionally, it helped me gain analytical tools necessary to independently assess the consequences of the growth of these radical right parties and voters for West European democratic regimes.
I found this picture very interesting because the political party I mostly researched during the semester was Vlaams Belang in Belgium. One of the main issues we tackled was demonstrations by or because of right-wing parties, and researching and comparing these demonstrations helped me conceptualize how media was utilized.
As someone who is researching media representation and social integration for the Copts in Egypt, this course may seem unrelated. However, the understanding of right-wing political extremism and its impact on democratic regimes can be beneficial for my project. I can utilize this knowledge to examine how right-wing extremist groups in Egypt contribute to the exclusion of the Copts from national narratives of identity and culture, and the potential consequences for democracy in the country. Understanding the causes and consequences of right-wing extremism in Europe can also provide a comparative framework to assess the situation in Egypt. This course has helped me to broaden my perspective and develop a more nuanced understanding of the social and political dynamics that impact the media representation of minority groups.
Source: Nieuwsblad