PhD Projects
Narrative Identities: The Radical New Right’s Practices of Self-Telling and their Gendered Construction of the Nation
Political Science (University of Bremen)
The project examines the gendered narratives of the so-called radical New Right. Using the concept of narrative identity, it focusses on the practices of self-telling. The project aims to better under the intertwined appeals to gender and nation within the current right-wing mobilizations by considering their autobiographical storytelling. The main thesis is, that the narrative self-interpretations of the radical New Right can be understood as an act of masculinist (re-)sovereignization in the struggles to (re-)define the nation; an attempt to regain the interpretative power by telling stories about and trough gender.
Based on the assumption that right-wing actors in Germany are currently pursuing an authoritarian-national reconstruction of the country, the project demonstrates the significance of gendered narratives for this authoritarian turn. With the approach of narrative identity, it uses a concept, which has so far been developed primarily in philosophy and social psychology for investigating personal identity, and extends it to research on collective identities. Thereby it shows how right-wing politicians use certain constructs of masculinity to make individual as well as collective identity offers, that are well able to elaborate the common sense of the people. Using selected autobiographical texts of the radical New Right, the project shows that their practices of self-telling are gendered in two ways: On the one hand, gendered stories of the nation are told; on the other hand, the storytelling itself can be understood as a masculinist and sovereignizing practice.
The Persistence of Neoliberalism’s Hegemony
Sociology (Kiel University)
This work delves into the paradox of neoliberal capitalism’s continued dominance despite facing critique and crises. It critically assesses the limitations of existing literature that prematurely proclaims neoliberalism’s demise, particularly in the context of its persistence through global challenges such as the Covid-19-pandemic and financial crises. The concept of hegemony takes center stage, highlighting its crucial role in shaping societal norms and constraining alternative visions. Employing Political Discourse Theory (PDT), specifically drawing from Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s contributions, the study offers a comprehensive exploration of change and hegemony within the neoliberal framework. Alongside theoretical insights, the research conducts empirical analyses of nearly 300,000 tweets from 2020-2023, examining the intersections of neoliberalism, the pandemic, and global protest movements marked by populist characteristics. Neoliberal capitalism is portrayed as a hegemonic force molding discursive structures that impact societal perceptions and behaviors. The analysis delves into the apparent contradiction between neoliberalism's perceived crisis mode and its resilience, emphasizing the role of crises in revitalizing and restructuring its hegemonic influence. The examination of crises encompasses both economic and discursive perspectives, shedding light on neoliberalism's adaptive capacity. Despite widespread calls for change and wealth redistribution during global protests from Chile and France to Thailand, the discursive system of neoliberalism remained remarkably stable. The overarching objective is to unravel the intricate discursive processes that underpin neoliberalism's persistence, contributing to a nuanced understanding of this multifaceted socio-economic phenomenon.
Performing Populism in Democracy: On the Relationship between Right-Wing Populist Performativity(ies) and Representative Democracy
Political Science (Kiel University)
In ihrer Promotion untersucht Lena Weige die Beziehung zwischen rechtspopulistischer Performativität und repräsentativer Demokratie aus einer politiktheoretischen Perspektive. Ausgangspunkt ihrer Überlegungen ist ein mehrdimensionales Verständnis des Populismus als politisches Phänomen, wobei der Fokus auf der Dimension des Populismus als politische Performance liegt. Mit dem Begriff der Performance geht ihre konzeptionelle Auseinandersetzung über den von Benjamin Moffitt entwickelten Begriff des Populismus als politischen Stil hinaus, indem sie ausgehend von Filipe Carreira da Silvas und Monica Brito Vieras Konzept des Populismus als politische Logik zusätzlich nach der narrativen Struktur (rechts-)populistischer Auftritte fragt. Im ersten Teil der Dissertation entwickelt Lena Weige den Begriff der rechtspopulistischen Performance unter Einbezug der vielfältigen Literatur aus dem Bereich der Performance Studies. Sie beschäftigt sich dabei besonders mit der Frage nach der Ausprägung oder Typologisierung rechtspopulistischer Performance und Performativität. Gibt es unterschiedliche Formen rechtspopulistischer Performativität und wenn ja, wodurch unterscheiden sich diese? Der zweite Teil ihres Dissertationsvorhabens befasst sich mit der Frage nach dem Verhältnis von rechtspopulistischer Performativität und repräsentativer Demokratie. Lena Weige wird hier erstens auf die Widersprüche und Spannungen innerhalb repräsentativer Demokratien eingehen, ehe sie in einem zweiten Schritt untersucht, wie rechtspopulistische Performativität(en) die Spielregeln der repräsentativen Demokratie verändern und zu einer Normalisierung radikal- bis extremrechter Ideologeme beitragen.
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