The institutionalisation of populist political discourse and conservative uncivil society in the European Union

This article analyses the ideational features of conservative civil society groups at EU level and compares them to progressive groups. Through a frame analysis of the textual materials of these two types of organisations, I examine their reactions to the success of populist formations in several Eu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ruzza Carlo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2021-03-01
Series:Nordicom Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0010
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article analyses the ideational features of conservative civil society groups at EU level and compares them to progressive groups. Through a frame analysis of the textual materials of these two types of organisations, I examine their reactions to the success of populist formations in several European member states and at EU level. I argue that the long-established EU ethos of fostering progressive civil society is undergoing a redefinition, which impacts their strategies. I posit that in a changing political climate, EU institutions are less interested in some of the contributions progressive civil society offers, such as its contributions to public deliberation, governance, and the legitimacy of the EU. Progressive civil society reacts to the threat of a loss of standing and attempts to retain its historical centrality, legitimacy, and access. In contrast, conservative civil society groups seek to establish themselves in a political environment previously off-limits to them.
ISSN:2001-5119