MSCA research project "INWELCHAV"

Ov Cristian Norocel
Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences

The European crisis has enabled radical right-wing populist parties to consolidate their presence on the EU's political landscape. These parties often base their positions on the concept of the ‘other’, a generic and vaguely-defined group that includes migrants, ethnic minorities, radical groups, or any person with an alternative lifestyle. This distinction is brought up especially during debates on social security, with certain populist parties suggesting that these ‘others’ should have different rights from natives.

This concept of ‘other’, however, is seldom mentioned in studies on populism and welfare. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie ‘INWELCHAV’ project intends to provide insight into this conceptual distinction. Joining the team of David Paternotte (from the workshop on gender and sexuality, Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences / STRIGES, ULB Institute for Human Sciences), Ov Cristian Norocel will explore and examine the (de)construction of cultural identity and the issue of national belonging through the discourse of radical populist right-wing parties.

The researcher will focus mainly on 3 cases: the Finns Party (FP or PS), the Greater Romania Party (GRP), and the Swedish Democrats (SD). He will also look at how issues related to national identity and welfare in these three countries are approached in their respective parliaments, as well as in the context of the EU, especially in the European Parliament.

End of the project: 31/07/2019

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 750076