Populism in the Slovenian context: Between ethno-nationalism and re-traditionalisation

Abstract

The political shifts in the post-1989 period in Central and Eastern Europe and the military conflicts in the Balkans intensified (ethnic) nationalism in these societies, while at the same time giving rise to populist discourse of the extreme right and consequently to intolerance, hatred, othering and true national values that the communist regime allegedly suppressed. Slovenia as one of the former Yugoslav republics was no exception: the rise of the right in the Slovenian context meant the rise of a mixture of authoritarianism, traditionalism, religion and nativism. Populist re-traditionalisation of post-socialist Slovenia found the new enemies in various groups of ‘others’ who were imagined as endangering the future of the nation and its people. This chapter suggests that the process of establishing independent statehood brought about two types of populist discourse: ethno-nationalist and ethno-religious populism. The first is linked with attempts to differentiate Slovenian national identity from anything regarded as Balkan, which became a metaphor for backward and primitive, while the second came about with the onset of the re-traditionalisation of Slovenian society, with conservative and religious actors regaining power after years of repression under the previous political system. The chapter analyses these two contexts of populism by focusing on two case studies: the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party and the Catholic Church-based Civil Initiative for the Family and the Rights of Children. The chapter also reflects on the consequences of populist exclusion, and specifically on the effects on the victims or target groups of such anti-politics-we reflect on anti-populism, anti-racism and anti-sexism initiatives that counteract populist exclusion and on open spaces for the practice of alternative politics.