Authors
Jacopo Custodi
Publication date
2016
Conference
Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI) Annual Conference: Changing Political Landscapes
Description
The study of left-wing populism and the study of regional integration are two fields of research that have always been distant. Yet, in recent years Latin American left governments and European radical left parties have shown a growing interest in their respective regional integration processes. Indeed, the political agenda of the 21st century’s left parties regarding regional integration marked a shift from the Cold War’s communist parties, whose political categories on the subject tended to be very different (strict alignment to Moscow’s hegemony, stronger class internationalism)–despite there were some antecedent attempts of left-wing regional integration in both Latin America and Europe. The rebirth of the Latin American concept of ‘Patria grande’and the idea of a left ‘Alter-Europeanism’have shown the ideological change on this matter. However, alongside the integrationist instances, these parties have also been developing a social patriotic rhetoric that focuses on national sovereignty. Using the concept of ‘left-wing populism’to define both the left governments of the so-called Latin American Pink Tide and the European radical left parties that arose in the post-financial crisis Europe (mainly Podemos and Syriza), this paper analyses their attitude towards national-patriotic feelings, their respective regional integration processes and the relation between the former and the latter. Finally, the paper suggests that, despite an integrationist agenda and patriotism could coexist, in fact the predominance of national politics over regional politics in times of crisis tends to weaken the regionalist purposes of left-wing populist parties in both Latin America and …
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