Project description
Combating cultural racism in a shifting Europe
In recent years, Europe has grappled with a troubling surge in right-wing politics. Fuelled by economic crises, austerity measures and the influx of migrants, far-right populists have manipulated public sentiment through divisive rhetoric, fostering cultural racism. With the support of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the Identifications project will explore the nexus of performance and race, with a focus on combating cultural racism by promoting anti-racist discourse and inclusive democratic values. By examining how left-leaning civic actions and artistic expressions foster identification processes rooted in anti-racist principles, it will challenge cultural racism. With a critical eye on western Europe, it employs discourse theory to illuminate the contours of identification, contesting cultural racism and promoting a more inclusive and democratic society.
Objective
The enlargement of the European Union to include Central and Eastern Europe (2004, 2007) brought with it the rise of right-wing politics in Western Europe. Factors that contributed to the ensuing institutionalisation of right-wing parties include: the European debt crisis (2009-2018), the imposing of austerity measures, and the unprecedented influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa during a period that has been termed the European migrant crisis (2015-2019). As living standards fell, far-right politicians blamed the decline on both internal and external immigrants and refugees by singling out incomers as a threat to economic and cultural stability. The right-wing populists began galvanising processes of identification among citizens through the use of discourses of intolerance. A newly-fortified cultural racism provided followers with a mechanism of legitimacy for their right-wing beliefs. This research project will study the intricate interplay of performance and race. It will investigate the ways in which both left-leaning civic performances (civil protests, speeches, policies) and artistic performances (theatre, dance, music) are capable of mobilising processes of identification that draw upon anti-racist discourses that permeate and sustain democratic institutions. Turning to discourse theory, and using a self-critical, Western European lens, the project will explore processes of identification that contest cultural racism.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
30123 Venezia
Italy