Religion, migration, and the far-right : how European populism frames religious pluralism

Mandelc, Damjan (avtor)

This article examines how populist radical right parties (PRR) in three contrasting European contexts—Slovenia, France, and Poland—strategically instrumentalize Christianity within their anti-immigration agendas. Rather than using religion as a matter of faith, these parties recast Christianity as a cornerstone of national and European identity, positioning it in opposition to Islam and non-European migration. The study argues that such instrumentalization serves not only to construct a religiously defined national identity, but also to legitimize exclusionary policies. By analyzing selected political speeches, party manifestos, and media discourse, we explore how far-right actors frame Islam as incompatible with European values, reinforcing the division between “Christian Europe” and “foreign non-Christian migrants.” Drawing on recent scholarship on civilizational populism and religious boundary-making, we further assess how processes of globalization and European integration have been interpreted by populist parties to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment. Methodologically, we employ qualitative content analysis to identify recurring themes and rhetorical strategies, with a focus on the intersection of religion, nationalism, and migration. The findings contribute to debates on religious pluralism in contemporary Europe, shedding light on how far-right populism reframes pluralism and challenges secular principles across different political and cultural settings.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: far-right populism, populist radical right (PRR), christianity, migration, religious pluralism, civilizational populism, secularism
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FF - Filozofska fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Datum objave: 17.09.2025
• Leto izida: 2025
• Št. strani: Str. 1-17
• Številčenje: Vol. 16, iss. 9, 1192
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-173874
• UDK: 329.055.1:2(4)
• ISSN pri članku: 2077-1444
• DOI: 10.3390/rel16091192
• COBISS.SI-ID: 250250499
• Datum objave v RUL: 24.09.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Religions
• Skrajšan naslov: Religions
• Založnik: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2077-1444
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520261657

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Nekomercialno 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: Licenca Creative Commons, ki prepoveduje komercialno uporabo, vendar uporabniki ne rabijo upravljati materialnih avtorskih pravic na izpeljanih delih z enako licenco.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: skrajni desničarski populizem, radikalna desnica, krščanstvo, migracije, verski pluralizem, civilizacijski populizem, sekularizem

Projekti

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P6-0194
• Naslov: Problemi avtonomije in identitet v času globalizacije